


Riptide

by itsamystery



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), F/M, Slow Burn, also, and cliff hangers whoops, dont worry theres no major character death, good god some characters just dont want to be left out, i realized how misleading the description is, im looking at you felix and bridgette, just a lot of angst, just warning ya now, mermaid marinette, mermaid!au, sailor adrien, there is some hints of nudity but it isnt described much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-07-12 13:38:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 48,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7107136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsamystery/pseuds/itsamystery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone says that when you die, you see your life flash before your eyes. It certainly wasn’t the case this time. There was no flash of images before him. There was no sense of peace, no out-of-body experience, no bright white light at the end of his tunneling vision:<br/>Just two vibrant spots of blue.<br/>Mermaid!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Price of Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> Mermaid AUs are my weakness and there aren't enough of them so here's the contribution I wanted to read but instead I have to write. Hope you enjoy~  
> Also I want to thank amuchia, mraculous, and wenpuppy for being betas!

           There were few things that Adrien disliked about living on a ship. The worst of which was washing the deck while the sun was high in the sky and the heat bore down on him, followed closely by _very_ late-night guard shifts in winter. He wasn’t a night person by any means. He preferred the sun and the warmth and the security of being able to see the sea as it stretched to the horizon. He preferred the feel of the sea spray and salt against his skin, watching the sun paint the sky as it sets in the horizon, the family mentality of the crew.

           But even with how much he loved life at sea, he couldn’t help but dislike the specific job he came here for. Hunting just didn’t settle right with him. The dangerous nature of the job didn’t bother him so much as his dislike of killing did. The monsters that laid siege to the seaside towns, cities, and other boats and ships had to be taken care of, or innocent people would get hurt. What he did was honorable. Despite his dislike of taking lives, he knew that what he was doing the right thing. He was told as a child that his mother’s love for the sea blinded her of the dangers that lurked in the dark water, but that didn’t stop her. One day she was dragged into the depths, drowning in consequence of her naivety. So once he turned 18 he decided to leave his home on land and head out to sea as a Hunter for a time.

            ‘Akuma’ was the general term for the variety of sea monsters that hunted humans specifically -and they were his prey. He -along with the rest of the crew whom he sailed with- were the protectors of 200 nautical miles of human-populated shore. Any Akuma that dared enter a 70 mile distance of shore would be promptly hunted down by the crew of the _Miraculous_.

            Maybe that was another thing that captured Adrien’s interest in pursuing a life on the sea; the risk of everything that they do. The adrenaline rush of finding an Akuma. The searing heat of fear and excitement and putting his life on the line in order to protect others. Growing up he was coddled in a house of shining silver and smooth marble, but here he lived life in a state of awe, unafraid to get his hands dirty.

            Of course, his freedom came with a cost; he could no longer be ‘Adrien Agreste’ if he wanted to spread his already-clipped wings.

            _“No. Under no circumstances will an Agreste become some boat hooligan.” Gabriel stood behind his desk, hands folded behind him, the picture of stoic stubbornness._

_“Father, please,” Adrien stood on the other side of the huge desk, hoping the wooden barrier between them would be enough to protect him from his father’s wrath. “I want to do something with myself, I want to do something with my life.”_

_“You are doing something with your life. You work for me, and you will take over the business when you are ready.” Gabriel eyed Adrien as the lean man paced around the side of the desk. Adrien warily watched as his father stepped closer. “Agrestes do not become soldiers.” His father placed his hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “We do not hunt monsters.” His grip tightened. “And we most certainly do not go gallivanting off to become some ruffian deckhand. You are an Agreste. You are nobility. Nobles do not bother themselves with the line of work of those below us. We do not get our hands dirty, that’s what housemaids and hired work are for.” His grip on Adrien released, as did the breath Adrien didn’t know he was holding. “If you wish to remain a member of this family, to continue to live under this roof and receive the privileges that come with being an Agreste, then you_ will _stop believing in this ridiculous dream. I raised you better than this, and I will not have my son tarnish the Agreste name just because of a silly, spur-of-the-moment, reckless idea of his. If you choose not to comply then as far as I know, I have no son.”_

 _Silence filled the room as Gabriel paced back to the other side of the desk. His lips were pressed in an indeterminable line, but his eyes showed enough emotion._ I win.

_But Adrien didn’t budge. After a moment's breath an idea fluttered into his mind. His tongue moved before he could stop it. “What if I wasn’t an Agreste?”_

_“What?” His father’s voice dripped with the venom of an unspoken threat. Adrien broke into a cold sweat at the realization of what had slipped from his mouth._

_“No! No, no. Not like that.” Adrien held his hands up in defense. “What if I wasn’t ‘Adrien Agreste’? What if I was someone else: an alias?” His father’s eyebrow raised in question. “Hear me out. What if I went for a few years, under a different name, and then I come back and… I take over the family business? No one would know me as Adrien, and thus they wouldn’t make the connection to our family; preserving the Agreste name. I would also be able to visit other towns, other cities. Meet new people, gain some knowledge and experience by traveling around and seeing the world.” He paused, forcing his body into a more professional posture. “I would be able to make a difference, be able to satisfy this ‘silly, spur-of-the-moment, reckless idea’ of mine, and then I’ll be more than willing to take over the company.”_

_Gabriel narrowed his eyes in thought. If it was anyone else other than Adrien, they would have believed Gabriel was glaring at them. After several moments of silence Gabriel sighed. Adrien could see his father’s eyes dart to the single picture frame on the desk. That frame had never once moved from its place in more than a decade. Adrien knew what was running through his father’s head._

_When Gabriel’s gaze finally came back to rest on his son Adrien almost expected his father to aggressively decline his offer. Instead, his father’s expression looked more like defeated acceptance rather than the usual Gabriel Glare. “I give you three years. I expect you to be back here in one piece and ready to accept your duty as a member of this family and heir to the company the moment those three years are up.”_

_If Adrien wasn’t raised as proper as he was, he would have leapt in the air shouting in joy, but instead he kept his feet grounded as a wide grin spread across his face. “Thank you, Father.” He bowed at the waist, then he turned on his heel and swiftly left his father’s office, afraid his father would take back his offer if he remained in the room._

_Adrien shut the huge door behind him, pausing for a moment to revel in the fact that he was free, more or less. As he straightened up to walk away, he heard his father’s voice muffled through the door. He was only able to catch four words clearly: “… he takes after you…”_

            For the moment Adrien reflected back on this last conversation with his father. His legs dangled off the edge of the ship rail. The breeze from the sea brushed his skin and he sighed into the fresh air. The pier below his feet creaked under approaching footsteps.

            “Yo, Chat. Come grab a drink with me, you’ve been sitting there for an hour, you can’t live on the ship forever dude.” Adrien looked down at his fellow crewman below him.

            “Sure, why not.” With a shrug Adrien pushed off the rail he sat on and landed with a _thump_ on the pier beside the other man. “And I would totally live here forever if I could.”

            “Right, this whole other ‘mysterious life’ is coming for your soul in two more years, huh?” His friend clapped him on the back, leading him away from the docked ship and to the shore.

            “You have no idea Nino. Responsibility is coming after my ass and it is coming with a vengeance.”

            “I have no idea what exactly is waiting for you after this, but if it’s the reason you wear a mask then it seems terrifying. I’m glad it’s not me, though. I don’t do the whole ‘responsibility’ thing.”

            Adrien laughed, “Oh, don’t worry I know you don’t.”

            Nino stopped while Adrien continued to walk on, taking a moment to process Adrien’s words before he started into a jog to catch up with his friend. “And just what do you mean by that?” He accused.

            “You said it, not me.” Adrien shrugged and held his hands up in defense. “I’m just agreeing with you.”

            “Dude, you’re not supposed to agree with me, you’re supposed to say: ‘what are you talking about, you’re the most responsible person I know!’ or ‘I wish I could be as responsible as you, Nino. You’re my role model!’ Support your bro here.”       

            “If you wanted me to say that you should have told me from the start that you wanted an ego boost.” Nino laughed this time, hand going up to wipe an invisible tear away from his eyes. “Well that is incredibly ironic, coming from you.”

           “What did I say?”

            “We both know who has the bigger ego here, Chat.” Nino eyed Adrien playfully while Adrien shrugged.

            “Where’s the lie?”

            Nino led the way once they were off the pier and on the town streets. People bustled about, going about their shopping and day-to-day activities without a care in the world. Thanks to the _Miraculous_ , they didn’t need to worry about Akuma. Adrien couldn’t help but smile at the peace. He was the reason why the townspeople could all sleep soundly. The reason they could just enjoy the present and not have to worry about the future.

            At least, he was a part of the reason. He certainly wasn’t the sole cause of this peace; it was a crew effort to maintain this tranquility and happiness.

            Adrien followed Nino from the bright light of late afternoon into the darkness of a tavern. After a few moments to adjust to the sudden light change Adrien continued to follow Nino to the bar. Sliding onto the stools they ordered their drinks and sat in a comfortable silence for a while, just enjoying the moment to have a drink.

            After their first glass they started talking as they usually did; they talked about their lives (mainly Nino’s), about their most recent hunt, and anything else that happened to pop up. Sometimes travelers or other Hunters would join them, listening to their stories and adding in their own. They’d laugh, they’d drink, and Adrien would dodge questions about his mask. It was the usual routine for them, but the tavern at the moment was mostly silent which was unusual, but more than welcomed.

            There they remained on the hard wooden bar stools until the sun had set and the tavern was filled with tired sailors and townspeople looking for a good time.

            “Hang on, I gotta piss. Be back in a few.” Nino set his glass on the counter and stepped away, leaving Adrien alone at the bar.

            He stared at the drink in his hand as his mind wandered. A year had come and went, and his anxiety of returning home had grown. Cooped up in a house for most of his life he had wanted to explore for a while. Get out and see the world from beyond the fence of familial expectations. But now that he was out of his father’s shadow, he never wanted to go back. This was both the best decision he has ever thought of as well as the worst, because he knew that once he went back to his father he would forever miss the sea and the freedom.

            The stool beside him creaked, signaling his friend’s return.

            “Hey there.” A distinctly feminine voice startled him. Turning to his friend’s stool he found not Nino, but a strange woman. Brown hair, equally brown eyes, and lips the color of wine. “Mind if I sit for a little while?” Her flirtatious tone was only reinforced with the action of leaning towards him, clearly showing off her… well-endowed assets.

            “Not at all.” Adrien scooted as far away from the woman as possible on the small wooden stool. He knew he shouldn’t have expected anything less. Whenever he just wanted to sit down and have a drink with his friend or with the crew there always had to be some woman who wanted to try something.              

            The woman smiled and batted her eyes as she shifted on her seat, one leg crossing over the other deliberately where he could see. “So what’s a guy like you here for? Staying in town long, handsome?”

            Adrien finished off his drink and slid some money over the countertop. “Just docking for the night. We leave early tomorrow morning.” He turned to the woman, but his eyes caught on Nino standing a ways behind her, a hand covering his mouth to hide his smile. The woman turned her head to the bar, her finger circling the edge of the coaster. Adrien took that moment to silently plead to his friend. ‘Help me.’

            “So you’re a fisherman?” She turned her gaze to him again.

           “Something like that, yeah.” Adrien flicked his eyes back to her, but in his peripheral he could see Nino mouth something to him. ‘Live a little.’

            “That’s good.” She leaned in, elbow on the bar and dainty chin resting in her hand. “I do love seamen.” She winked.

**_Nope. I am not nearly drunk enough for this._**

Adrien struggled with words in his astonishment, but luckily he was saved from having to say anything at all. “Excuse me, miss.” Nino stepped up, grabbing his glass and finishing off what was left. “But unfortunately my friend and I have an early day tomorrow so we have to get going.” He slapped some bills on the counter and clapped Adrien on the shoulder. Without another word Adrien slipped off the stool and followed his friend like a lost duckling on their way through the tavern and out the door.

            “Well that was uncomfortable.” Adrien sighed as they were safely back on the street.

            “I keep telling you, it’s the mask.”

            “I don’t see why. It’s just a mask.” Adrien reached up and touched the black material. It was insurance to keep his promise with his father. Adrien had requested it so that it would be even harder for people who knew of the Agreste household to figure out it was him. It was a small price to pay to make his father happy with their agreement.

            “Women see it and think you’re some mysterious loner type. And, if I have to be completely honest with myself, the mask makes you look sexy.” Nino stopped to look back at Adrien who had stopped in his tracks. “You know I mean that in a totally platonic way, stop laughing.”

            Adrien was doubled over in the street, tears streaming from his eyes. “I know, I know. It’s just that I find it incredibly funny that you admitted it so nonchalantly.”

            “I’m just saying; if I was a girl, or if I was into dudes, I would totally bang you. I’m just being your friend and telling you the truth. It’s really not as uncomfortable as you’re making it out to be.” Nino shrugged, watching his friend as he came down from his laughing fit.

            Adrien took a deep breath, holding his aching sides. “Speaking of uncomfortable, I’d like a new conversation please.”

            “’Speaking of uncomfortable’, what exactly did that woman say that made you look like you had walked in on Kim in the middle of having sex?” A mischievous glint shown in Nino’s eyes _(or was it just a lens glare from his glasses?)_ as he glanced over at Adrien.

            “Oh god you don’t even want to know.” Adrien mentally relaxed as soon as his feet hit the wood of the pier. He was almost to the safety of the ship.

            “Please, you have to tell me. I have to know what she said.” Nino stepped in front of him, his hands up, begging.

            Adrien sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. “Fine. She said, and I quote, ‘You’re a sailor? Excellent. I love seamen.’” Adrien mustered as much of a feminine sounding voice as possible, winking at Nino who had gone into hysterics.

            “Are, are you serious dude? That’s the most incredible thing I’ve heard in my life, you have to tell the crew.”

            “No.”

            “Please?”

            “No way.”

            “I’ll tell them if you don’t.”

            “God, alright, fine. If you stop harassing me I’ll tell them.”

            “Deal.”

            The two Hunters climbed aboard the _Miraculous_ , heading straight for the cabins below deck. They didn’t want to stay up any longer than they had to. They were sailing out at first light and the moon was already high above them.

            Another thing about life on the sea Adrien enjoyed: The calmness of everything when land was far from sight. Just himself, the ship, and the dark sea reflecting the night sky.

           

            With the mooring lines untied the _Miraculous_ quickly made its way into open water just as rays of sunlight started to peek over the far away mountain range in the east. They were on duty yet again, sailing out for another patrol along their assigned area. Akuma never rested, which meant that Hunters couldn’t afford to take breaks. They always had to be on the move if they weren’t resupplying.

            The early morning sun warmed Adrien’s skin as he leaned against the rail at the forward most point of the ship. He had all the time in the world to himself until an Akuma showed up, so he pulled out his knife and thick piece of smooth driftwood he had snatched while they were docked the other day. It was something to do with his spare time that kept him occupied and prevented him from going stir crazy.

            With his back to the ocean he sat on the deck, whittling away at the wood piece. The spray of the sea kicked up every now and then when the ship hit a stray wave, but the cool water was welcomed under the increasing heat of the day.

            A mewl interrupted his concentration on the driftwood in his hands. Looking off to his left he found the ship cat staring back at him with wide eyes, pupils nothing more than a black sliver on green. The stray had wandered on the ship just around the same time Adrien found himself on it just over a year ago. It was a small thing, black as night save for its emerald green eyes. The cat was asocial with the other crewmen for the most part but was tolerated because of its importance in pest control, but Adrien was the exception. It had taken quite a liking to the blond. Maybe the reason was his namesake, the alias Adrien had chosen: Chat Noir. After all, it meant ‘Black Cat.’. It was too uncanny not to be a coincidence.

            The crew had also never named the cat, so Adrien took it upon himself to give it one.

            “Hey there Plagg.” He held his hand out to the black cat. Plagg closed the distance, stretching his head into Adrien’s waiting palm, his purring louder than the crashing of the ship’s hull on the water. For being such a small creature, he was certainly a loud and needy one.

            After a minute of scratching Adrien turned his attention back to the wood in his hands. Plagg nudged his way under his arm and stepped into his lap, curling up against him.

            They remained there for a while longer, knife scratching away against wood while Plagg purred, occasionally flexing his claws into Adrien’s shirt.

            Adrien was just putting the finishing touches on the wooden dolphin he had in his hands when the air suddenly grew cold and the brightness of midday became dark. Drawing his gaze away from his task he turned it skyward. Black clouds had rolled into the sky, blocking the sun and plunging the sea from a sapphire blue to black in an instant. Thunder rolled in the distance, the deep rumble vibrating Adrien’s chest. _Not good._

            The helmsman was already shouting out; a stampede of footsteps from the crew drew closer as they all rushed to the deck at the cry. Adrien could only stand by and watch the occasional flash of lighting light up the dark sky. Adrien felt his hair stand up on end, and it wasn’t only because of the static in the air. Plagg felt it too, the small black cat hissed and sprinted off towards the door that led below. Something bad was going to happen. It wasn’t just the tropical storm that was coming.

            “Get the harpoon guns ready!” Adrien sprinted over to the mast where the crew was readying the sails to be taken down.

            “Chat, are you out of your damned mind?” Alec turned on him, shoving a halyard line into his hands. “We have to prepare the ship for the storm, now start pulling some weight around here.”

            “Captain, please.” Adrien grabbed Alec’s arm before he could get away. “The storm isn’t the only thing we should be worrying about. Something feels off about this, you have to believe me.” The pleading desperation in Adrien’s eyes must have swayed the captain, for he looked away from Adrien to scan the choppy waters surrounding the ship.

            “All hands that can be spared, grab and ready the harpoon guns!” Alec bellowed over the earsplitting _crack_ of lightning. More sounds of hurried feet against the deck were drowned out by the smack of the hull against the increasingly violent waves. Rain began to pelt down and soak through Adrien’s clothes leaving him chilled to the bone.

           As Adrien tugged on the halyard line, easing down the massive white sail, he couldn’t help but watch the dark sky above. No natural storm could have manifested itself so quickly and without warning on a more-or-less cloudless day. They would have heard the thunder long before they had reached the source, but this storm had come out of nowhere, literally.

            As soon as the jib was secured Adrien sprinted across the slick deck to the nook he stored his personal weapon. The heavy weight of the harpoon was a comfort to him, but that didn't mean his guard dropped as he turned to the forward point of the ship. The roar of the wind and the slapping of water against the hull almost drowned out the rumble that shook the deck. _That wasn’t thunder…_

            The ship suddenly shuddered and rocked to the side, Adrien and the crew all stumbled and slipped at the abrupt change. Another shudder: the ship rocked the other way. This time Adrien stood his ground on the slippery wood, hair plastered to his face as he scanned the waters surrounding the ship.

            Movement. He didn’t need even need to see it to know what it was. “Akuma! Port side!”

            Before the crew had time to rush over the Akuma presented itself. A massive dark head lifted out of the water, dark purple predatory eyes stared back at Adrien as the horned and frilled serpentine head lifted high into the air. Despite the darkness, the many teeth that filled the serpent’s mouth glinted.

            Adrien had taken a single step away from the Akuma – his harpoon lifted towards the massive creature - before it lunged. If Adrien had not been paying attention or naturally fast reflexes he would currently be caught in the Akuma’s jaws that clamped down on air less than an arm’s length away. The snap of its teeth together made Adrien feel sick when he thought about the possibility that he could have been between those teeth right then and there.

           The serpent pulled away before Adrien could strike at it with his harpoon. Instead Nino had seen an opportunity and took the shot. A new hole gifted by a harpoon graced the frill around the serpents head while an enraged hiss filled the air.

            The sound of more harpoon guns joined the symphony of the storm and the Akuma drew back, roaring in distress as harpoons pierced its body. With a hiss it dove back into the water, its long, slender body following suit into the black sea.

            Other than the sound of the rain and the waves beating against the ship it was quiet. If it was any other situation Adrien would take this chance to say it was ‘the calm before the storm.’ If he said it now he would most likely be shot where he stood.

            Several moments passed and the Akuma had yet to resurface. Adrien dared to get closer to the rail, leaning over it to look into the water below. “Did… did we get it?” Kim asked from somewhere behind Adrien. _Certainly it couldn’t be that easy._

            Adrien was right.

            The Akuma burst out of the water on the other side of the _Miraculous_ , its massive body rising high into the air beside them as the ship rocked violently by the brush against the Akuma. The sudden shift in gravity was something the crew wasn’t prepared for: surprised yelling accompanied the sound of bodies hitting the deck.

            Adrien fell as well, but his body never hit the deck. He had been standing too far over the rail to stop himself from tipping over, and the rail was too slick to hold onto.

            He hit the water with a splash, the chill of the water shocking his nerves. The muffled sound of gun fire and hissing reached his ears through the water. Pushing his way up he breached the surface, his eyes traveling to the railing he had fallen over.

            “Follow it!” Someone yelled from the ship, probably the captain. “It’s going under!”

            A brush against his toes. Smooth rubbery skin. _Oh no._

            As sudden as the sensation came, it was gone.

            The next thing Adrien knew was a sensation of wind in his hair, and face, and, all over his body actually. He had been catapulted high into the air by the force of the Akuma surfacing.

            With the wind and the thunder around him he could barely hear the fight below. When he meant getting freedom despite having clipped-wings this isn’t necessarily what he had in mind.

            He began to fall. It was a narrow line between hitting the deck, hitting the Akuma, and hitting the water. He could only pray he landed back in the water. Regardless, it would hurt like hell when he did land.

            Closing his eyes he prepared himself for either fate.

            A splash. He had thankfully hit the water, but the force of the water knocked the wind out of him.

            As Adrien broke the surface gasping for air the huge serpent’s body crashed on top of him, sending him reeling through the dark water under the weight of the Akuma. The breath had been knocked out of him the moment he had finally tasted oxygen on his tongue, and now he was spiraling through the water unsure as to which way was up.

            His lungs burned with the deprivation of air. Despite the darkness he could tell his sight was beginning to tunnel.

            Everyone says that when you die, you see your life flash before your eyes. It certainly wasn’t the case this time. There was no flash of images before him. No slideshow of everything that he had seen and things he has yet to do, although he could probably guess what most of his life would be like anyway after two more years. There was no sense of peace, no out-of-body experience, no bright white light at the end of his tunneling vision:

           Just two vibrant spots of blue.           


	2. Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien wakes up with little knowledge about what happened and has a curious encounter.

           “…He’s lucky…”

            Voices. He figured he’d hear voices from wherever he went when he died.

            “…mask, aren’t you curious?”

            “…don’t…”

            The darkness was tinted yellow behind his eyelids. _Light_ , he dumbly recalled. Of course it would be bright in heaven or hell or wherever he had ended up.

           “Chat Noir, wake up…”

           Adrien opened his eyes. The light of the sun was harsh, but it didn’t hurt nearly as much as the rest of his body did. He felt sore all over; his throat felt like it had been scrubbed with sandpaper, his lungs burned like they haven’t had air in years, his stomach churned in discomfort as if from swallowing too much seawater.

            _Wait._

           He shot up, gasping for air like a landed fish. _That happened, didn’t it? I **drowned**_. Adrien placed his hand over his heaving chest while someone next to him placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Decided to rejoin the living, huh?”

           “Nino,” Adrien wheezed out, turning to see his friend seated beside him. “What happened?”

           Nino released Adrien’s shoulder, moving his hand to pat his friend’s back. Either a comforting gesture or to assist Adrien with expelling any water still left in his body. Maybe both. “I was hoping you could tell me. Max saw you. The Akuma landed on you and dragged you down. We thought you died.” Adrien’s stomach did flips, and it wasn’t from the seawater he had most definitely swallowed. “It took a while, but you resurfaced unconscious.”

           Adrien took a moment to look around. The storm was gone. The Akuma was gone. The sun was lower in the sky since he had last seen it. “How long was I out?”

           “Four days.”

           “ _What?_ ” Adrien erupted into violent coughing.

           “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Relax. After we fished you out it’s been maybe five, ten minutes?” Nino shrugged, “We had finally managed to kill the Akuma and it fell, but before it could bubble away its body landed on you. As soon as it completely disappeared the clouds did too. I guess maybe black cats aren’t completely unlucky after all, eh?” Offering a comforting grin Nino stood up, offering his hand to the blond.

           Adrien took his friend’s hand and was promptly pulled to his feet. The sudden movement brought on a wave of nausea, but he was able to fight it down. “I guess not.”

           “Just take it easy Chat. You need to take a well-deserved break after coming back to life. Captain told me to tell you that once you woke up you’re gonna take the day off to recover.”

           Adrien coughed, chest shuddering. “Thank the captain for me.”

           “He knew you would say that.” Nino crossed his arms and looked across the deck behind him at the captain standing at the helm. “He also told me to tell you that it’s not a charitable gesture. He only wants you to rest because ‘you’re no good as a Hunter if you’re sick.’” Nino gestured the quotations with his fingers.

           “That’s just his way of showing he cares.” Adrien managed a weak laugh.

           “Oh yeah, cause how could he not like his best hand-to-hand Hunter.” Nino rolled his eyes but a teasing smile was plastered on his face.

           “How could _anyone_ not like me? I am a delight.”

           Nino laughed. “I would say otherwise, but I’m not going to argue about that now because you have some rest to be getting. Remember though, you have the 1 o’clock shift this week, including tonight.”

           “Noted.” Adrien nodded as Nino bid him farewell before he had to help take inventory and assess the damage done. Adrien wished he could help, but if it was the captain’s orders that he rest then he would take full advantage of it.

           Escaping from the heat of the sun he stepped down into the dark, cool air of the heart of the ship. It was certainly a respite from the blazing heat he had been under, but the chill quickly set in and his body shivered involuntarily. Despite the sudden darkness, Adrien skillfully made his way to the cabins. He knew the _Miraculous_ well enough that he could walk it blindfolded.

           The sound of water slapping the hull was the only sound to fill the silence as Adrien made his way down the hall. The lower deck was almost eerie when everyone else was absent.

           At the end of the hall he entered the crew cabin. It was lined with bunks, and because of the close quarters there were few places to put personal items. At least there was enough room to stash his various carvings. He had a small collection underneath his bunk of everything he had completed. _Speaking of…_

           He reached into his front pocket, his fingers grazing smooth wood. He hadn’t lost the piece in the attack at least. Pulling it out, Adrien inspected it in the low light: thankfully it hadn’t been damaged either.

           He sat down on the bunk in front of him before bending down and placing the carving under the bunk. Habitually, he stripped off his black linen shirt, still damp from the sea, and tossed it over a nearby trunk. His water-filled shoes and wet pants followed. Grabbing a dry pair of pants from under the bunk he slipped them on, threw his feet onto the mattress, and closed his eyes.

           But he couldn’t go to sleep.

           He lay there for an immeasurable amount of time. The rocking of the ship was certainly lulling, but the haunting memory of jaws snapping in front of him and the crushing weight of the serpent bearing down on him played on repeat in his mind vividly.

           Three times he almost died.

           Maybe he shouldn’t have picked the name ‘Chat Noir’. He might as well have called himself ‘Red Sky’ or disguised himself as a girl. Well, it was his fault for choosing such a name. Maybe if he was lucky he wouldn’t have to go back home after all. Or maybe it would be just his luck not to die and be forced to go back after the next two years were up.

           Adrien reached up and touched the mask that still rested on his face. He was surprised it had stayed on during that entire endeavor. He made a mental note that when he went back inland he would give his commissioner a considerable donation.

           A sudden weight on his stomach startled him out of his thoughts. He looked up, finding a large pair of green eyes looking back at him. Plagg was dark enough that his body blended in with the darkness. Only his wide green eyes proved that he was truly there.

           The tiny cat lay with his tail curled around his paws, eyes partially closed but still focused on Adrien’s own green eyes.

           Maybe he picked the right name after all. If the coincidence behind his alias and his friendship with Plagg was all in the name, then he wouldn’t have picked any other.

 

* * *

 

           Fear; the water was thick with it. A roar filled the dark ocean, followed by the clicking and wailing of sea creatures in distress. The unsettling presence of the monster was enough to send all other life fleeing into deeper water.

           ‘We have to go!’ A head of auburn hair and golden eyes turned away from the battle that was about to occur. However, the dark haired being that the panicked vocalization was addressed to did not move, despite the obvious danger that lurked so close by.

           Sapphire-blue eyes were focused towards the surface: not at the massive serpent that circled above, but rather on the bottom of a large vessel that rocked on violent waves. She was afraid, but she wasn’t afraid of the evil creature, or the threat of death for herself, but for fear of the death of those who lived above the surface. The humans who were no doubt the target of the monster’s rage.

           She was afraid that they would die with regret. Die with hatred still in their souls. If they did, they might have their own souls overtaken by an unknown force and transform into the evil creatures that haunted the shores and the sea.

           She couldn’t allow any more of those monsters that had already killed many of her friends to manifest. If she could do something about it, she would do whatever it took to prevent it.

           So she ignored her friend’s panicked wails calling her name.

           The dark-haired being pushed with all her might towards the ship, the water barely rippling with her ascent. The evil creature dove, curling up under the ship. Thankfully it was too dark and the monster too busy with the mass above to notice her approach. Spines stuck out of the creature at random in various angles. It wasn’t for a few moments did she realize the spines were harpoons.

           The serpent made its counter-attack; spiraling down then spiraling back up, crashing into one side of the ship, causing it to tip alarmingly far the other way. There was gun fire, the sound was muffled through the water, and the sudden presence of something new. Something that had fallen from the deck above.

           She didn’t even need to see it to know what it was: a human.

           He was barely noticeable against the dark silhouette of the ship: his dark coverings blending into the shadows. The only reason she could see him was because of his golden hair which, even in the darkness of the storm and the sea, it was a beacon of light.

           He breached, his golden hair disappearing onto the other side of the surface. She wanted to get closer, but the serpent in that moment dove back down, coiling its way under the ship again. The creature rose up under the human, but whether or not it noticed him was unknown to her. It didn’t look like it was going for the kill. Possibly its rage for the much more massive object in the water blinded it to anything else? Regardless, the serpent’s head rose underneath the human as it breached the surface just aside the ship. The human’s presence disappeared.

           She could hear the fighting above. The hiss of the monster, the sound of gun fire, yelling. Then another splash. The same blond had entered the water yet again, but this time he thrashed to the surface next to the serpent. As she started towards him, she noticed the sudden eerie silence. There was no sound coming from the serpent, no sound of gun fire: only the rumble of the storm above, and the crashing splash of the serpent’s body falling into the water and trapping the blond in the darkness.

           The human was caught underneath the serpent’s mass, his body pressed flat against the sudden force of the fallen monster. With a flick of her tail she propelled herself forward as fast as she could manage.

           As she approached the sinking human the serpent’s body began to fade away into dark bubbles that floated back up slowly to the surface. She would have thought it a pretty sight if she didn’t know any better that those bubbles were the residual dark energy of the fallen monster.

           She finally reached him, and the first thing she noticed while floating in front of him was that his hair wasn’t the only thing that shone in the darkness: his green eyes glowed like peridots as he stared right back at her.

            _No_. His closing eyes weren’t focused on her. They weren’t focused on anything. He was looking _through_ her.

           His soul was fading quickly. He had been forced too deep into the water, and by the time she could get him to the surface and back in the hands of the other humans he would already be gone. She had to take this leap of faith. It was for the good of everyone, sea life and surface life alike, despite the risks she was taking by doing so.

           Her species had an instinct: not to get close to humans. Too many merfolk had been hunted by rouge fishermen looking to possess items humans considered rare: their fins, their scales, their bones. She followed her instinct and avoided them, but she has never been afraid of them.

           In order to prevent another monster from coming into existence, she had to throw her instinct to the riptide.

           It took only a second to make her decision. She heard a panicked trill in the distance, her friend no doubt, as she grabbed the human’s face and pressed her lips to his. She had enough air in her lungs to spare; she breathed enough into him to fill his own.

            Releasing his face she moved to grab him under the arms, but her forearm was grabbed and hauled away.

            ‘Marinette, what are you doing? You shouldn’t be this close to humans.’ Auburn hair swayed in the current as gold eyes bore into sky blue.

            ‘I know, Alya. I know, but I couldn’t let him die! He could turn into a monster, and those evil creatures have killed more of us than humans have! I couldn’t let that happen if I could stop it.’ Marinette clicked agitatedly, trying to pull her arm away from her friend. ‘Please, he’ll die if I don’t get him to the surface right now.’

            Marinette could see the conflict in Alya’s eyes. To go along with this plan would be risking exposing herself to the humans and perhaps getting killed, but not helping Marinette would risk creating another demon.

            Alya released Marinette’s arm. As soon as her arm was free Marinette grabbed the blond and hauled him to the surface, but stopped just short of the air above. She wasn’t afraid of the humans, but she couldn’t take the risk of exposure and endanger herself and her best friend who floated just feet away. She had to compromise.

            She pushed the blond’s body above her, his head and chest now in the exposed air, while she remained hidden under him, arms stretched as far away from her as possible with her hands supporting his back. Hopefully the other humans would see him soon.

            She remained in that position for some time, afraid to let him go to sink beneath the waves once again. While she waited for her burden to be released, she took that time to study him. His shoulders were broad, skin sun kissed from the conditions above the surface, hair shimmering like gold in the brightening light of midday. Through the dark fabric under her fingers she could feel the toughness of the muscles in his back. Her gaze drifted down, towards his… _limbs?_

            She knew of the similarities between humans and mermaids, but she never had the chance to closer inspect the differences. They didn’t have a single tail - _no wonder they couldn’t swim well-_ but two appendages. His bent away from her, the lower half dangling down further into the water. She was so tempted to reach out and touch them, but nearby voices caused her to freeze.

            “There he is!”

            “Is he even alive?”

            “Get him on board, quick!”

            There was a sudden splash. Marinette released the blond, turned, and descended as fast as she could, close on Alya’s tail. Only once safely in darker water did she look back. Another human was in the water, supporting the blond while swimming closer to the boat. She didn’t think the newcomer noticed her, the newcomer didn’t act like he had noticed anything.

            She waited and watched from the darkness. A rope had been lowered and the newcomer tied it around the blond’s torso. After a minute they both disappeared.

            ‘Marinette, don’t ever scare me like that again.’ Alya swam up next to her, eyes wide and worried. ‘I nearly had a heart attack.’

            ‘I know, I’m sorry. I just,’ Marinette looked back up to the dark shape of the ship above them. ‘I couldn’t let him drown.’

            ‘I know what you did was the right thing to do, but was it the safest thing to do?’ Alya swam into Marinette’s line of sight, blocking her view of the ship.

            ‘No, I guess not.’ The guilt of doing something so dangerous to herself and to Alya weighed heavily on her now that she realized the selfishness of her actions.

            ‘That’s right. So next time just be careful, okay?’ Alya’s questioning trill was gentle, but still didn’t help to ease her friend’s sudden guilt. Marinette could only nod in silent agreement. ‘Hey, come here.’ Suddenly the dark haired girl was enveloped by arms, a hand soothingly rubbed her back. ‘I’m not mad, Mari. Just be careful next time, okay?’ Her friend’s hum vibrated her body, and she couldn’t help but return the hug.

            ‘Thanks, Alya.’

            Their embrace was interrupted by the clatter of a splash and the clinking of chains. An anchor sank quickly into the depths just meters away from them.

            ‘Let’s head back to the shoals, everyone is probably worried sick about us.’ Alya tugged on Marinette’s hand, pulling the curious girl away. She was reluctant to leave. She never really had the chance to watch humans so closely before and now the opportunity was a tail flick away.

           ‘Don’t worry, the ship lowered its anchor so it’ll be here until tomorrow. You’ll have plenty of time to come back later.’ Alya chirped laughingly when large sky blue eyes met hers. ‘I know you want to watch them, I know you like the back of my hand.’ She winked, to which Marinette responded with a smile.

           ‘You’re the best, Alya.’ She squeezed her friend’s hand.

           ‘But you can only go when the moon is high, when most of them are asleep.’

           ‘Deal.’

            

* * *

 

           Adrien woke with a start, a cold sweat broke across his skin and his heart raced. He had dreamed he was between razor sharp, crushing teeth dragging him down into the ocean.

           Luckily it was nothing more than a nightmare, but there was no going back to sleep any time soon after that.

           He lay a few more moments to catch his breath and slow his heart before he attempted to move to grab his watch. It was hard to tell in the dark, but he was confident that it read 12:24. He was due for his shift in little more than half an hour. _Might as well go now, it’s not worth trying to sleep for 30 minutes._

           Adrien shifted his feet off the bed, swinging them over until they touched the chilled floor. He grasped in the dark for his boots, finding them easily in their usual spot. He didn’t bother attempting to dig out a clean shirt, opting to reach directly for his leather jacket instead. It would keep him warm enough. Before he stood he grabbed a piece of spare uncarved wood from under the bunk. That would be his last piece before he had to find another.

           Other than the sounds of sleep from the rest of the crew the ship was otherwise silent. Making his way skillfully through the dark Adrien followed the moonlight to the stairs and up to the deck.

           As he stepped into the night he noticed that everything was still. There was no wind, no rocking of the ship. Everything looked suspended in time, as if some spell was cast to freeze them in that moment.

           With everything he’s seen, and the knowledge of what exists out there in the dark, he wouldn’t have doubted that for a second.

           “Hey, Chat, what are you doing up? You don’t have your shift for another half hour.” Adrien turned his head towards the helm. Max was leaning against the rail, looking down at him through his glasses. A lantern beside him illuminated the deck in a fluorescent white light.

           “I couldn’t sleep, I figured I could take my shift early, if that’s okay with you.” Adrien shrugged, walking towards the stairs to the higher deck.

           “That’s more than okay with me, I was wanting to get more sleep. I just hope you’re all rested from what happened. If you push yourself too much you could develop some pretty nasty side effects from almost... Well, you know. Technically you should be monitored for at least a day.”

           “Max, I’m alright, don’t worry.” Adrien leaned against the rail, hands in his pockets. “If anything does come up, I’ll let you know. You are the expert on things like this.”

           Max shrugged. “Navigation and mathematics, yes. Medical knowhow, not as much, but just enough.”

           “You don’t give yourself enough credit, Max. You’re smart. Why did someone as smart as you want to become a Hunter? It’s definitely not for the glamour of the job, is it?” Both men laughed before Max moved past Adrien and down the stairs to the main deck.

           “Everyone on this ship has their secrets. The reasons for why they’re here,” Max spared a glance back at the blond as he continued to walk away. His glasses caught a glare and hid his eyes, but Adrien could practically feel the understanding and knowledge in the stare he received. “Or who they are.” Without another word he descended down the main stairs to the lower deck.

            _He, he couldn’t possibly know… could he? I’ve been careful. No, he couldn’t know._ Shrugging off the cold feeling he felt sinking in he pulled out his knife and the wood he had stowed in his jacket. At least he had a distraction to pass the next hour and a half.

           As he carved he attempted to keep his mind off anything relating to the day previously, but the memory of drowning in the dark underneath the crushing weight of the Akuma kept flashing across his vision.

           A meow pulled him out of his reverie. Adrien looked down to see Plagg pad up to him and leap onto the rail beside him. His soft black head nudged his arm pleading for pats.

           Adrien took a breath, calming himself down while he retrained his sight back on the carving in his hand, the other hand going to reach for the small black cat. The smooth wood and soft black fur helped to keep him grounded in the present.

           Turning to face the dark, still ocean he rested his elbows on the railing and looked out. If he was any kind of romantic poet, he would have captured this scene to be mailed back home. The ocean was still, reflecting the sky like a mirror. Creating the illusion that they were floating through space amongst the stars. That they were lonely travelers on a journey to catch the moon, which hung in the sky like a lighthouse beacon, beckoning them safely to land through the dark. That in this world on the mirror nothing but him and the ship existed. No worry could catch him in his solitude sailing beside comets.

           But he was no poet. Nothing he could write could accurately capture the sight before him.

           Tearing his eyes away from the night he instead focused back on the wooden cat in his hands. He was nearly finished. His knife glided over the wood easily, his movements sure. Just a few more strokes…

           His eyes were drawn away from his hands on their own accord. They shifted away to the sea, magnetized to two spots of gentle sky blue. The same color and shape he saw before he blacked out-

           He blinked. His knife slipped.

           “Shit-” Adrien cursed, his index finger now covered in blood and watching hopelessly as the carving fell into the water, disturbing the stillness and sending ripples out into the dark. It wouldn’t be worth it to try to fish it out. It was too far down.

           Besides. He could always carve another.

           He sighed, pulling back away from the railing and looked at his bloody finger. The cut was long, but not concerningly deep. He would have to have it wrapped regardless. Putting his knife back into his pocket he stuck his bloody finger into his mouth. He remembered Max talking about saliva having anti-bacterial properties or something. He would take his word for it.

           The taste of blood wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn’t completely terrible, but the sting that followed from the cut was the worst part. He turned back around away from the ocean, going to scavenge one of the many storage boxes for the first-aid kit when he heard splashing water and a following clatter beside him. He nearly bit his finger in his surprise.

           He scanned the deck where he heard the clatter. It only took him a moment to find the source. He took a few steps towards the dark object in the middle of the deck, but stopped. He didn’t need to take another step closer to know what it was.

           It was his carved cat.

           He stared at it a second longer before he rushed over to the side of the ship, looking down into the water below. The only evidence that something was ever there were the gentle ripples receding towards the horizon.

            _What was…?_

           “Yo, Chat.”

           “Shit!” Adrien jumped, his head whipping over to see Kim coming up the stairs.

           “Damn, sorry, did I scare-de-cat?” Kim’s laughter filled the silence while Adrien’s heart restarted itself.

           “Yes, you did. Secondly, that was a claw-ful pun, and mew should be ashamed of yourself.” Adrien easily slipped into Chat Noir mode.

           “Those were equally terrible.” Kim clapped a hand on Adrien’s back, the force sending Adrien tipping forward. _That’s going to leave a bruise in the morning._ “What’s got you so jumpy dude?”

           “Uhh, nothing. Nothing at all.” Adrien stepped away and quickly picked up the carving that he had left on the deck. “I was just startled by Plagg earlier. I dropped my carving.”

           “I guess that little guy can be startling when he comes out of nowhere. Especially since he’s completely black.”

           “Yeah.” Adrien pocketed the carving. “Is it your shift already?” Adrien pulled out his watch. Indeed, it was nearly 2.

           “Time passes quickly when you get scared. Night, Noir.” Kim snickered but patted Adrien’s shoulder reassuringly.

           Adrien took one more look out at the ocean as he descended the stairs to the main deck, taking the carved cat out of his pocket and running his thumb over the damp wood. _So I didn’t just imagine it._ The proof was right there, and yet there was no explanation for it. Unless there was...

           There were always tales of magic and intelligent creatures residing safely hidden in the darker parts of the ocean, and not just the varied Akuma. Other creatures shared the water with the dangerous Akuma, so who knows what the _Miraculous_ ’s fight with the Akuma could have drawn. Whether it was a danger to them right now, Adrien didn’t know, but there definitely was something out there.

           He had always wondered what exactly else was out there: nymphs or sirens or mermaids. Why true stories about them were rare, and sightings even rarer. If they were as dangerous as the Akuma, or passive and don’t want to get involved.

           Turning his gaze back to the carving in his hand, he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe they were just as curious about him as he was about them.

 

* * *

 

           Night cast its veil over the ocean and the rocky shoals Marinette lay against. She couldn’t wait to leave and explore the ship while the rest of her family and the human crew were asleep, save for Alya. She knew Marinette was going, and she would be tagging along whether she liked it or not.

           The waves were gentle, the water shifting the seafaring organisms just enough to cause the dark water to glow in fluorescent blue and green.

           She waited with baited anticipation, watching the moon’s slow ascent in the sky. A tap against her tail fin in the water alerted her to Alya’s presence. An auburn head of hair floated in the water in front of Marinette. “Ready?” Alya whispered, her voice as quiet as the waves.

           Wordlessly, Marinette nodded and hastily pushed herself off the rock and into the water. Looking back at her friend for confirmation she flicked her tail and sent herself propelling through the water in the direction they had come hours before.

           Time passed quickly as they glided just beneath the water’s surface, a small school of fish joined them as they made their way through the moonlit ocean. It wasn’t long until Marinette could see the shadow of the ship on the horizon.

           In her overexcitement she left an anxious Alya in her wake as she sped up to the hulking mass. The ship bobbed gently. As smooth and slow as a massive creature breathing in its sleep. She knew it wasn’t alive, but it certainly looked like it. She reached her hand out, the wood smooth under her fingertips.

           ‘Marinette,’ Alya finally managed to catch up to her overeager friend and interrupting her from her curiosity with the ship’s hull. ‘Stay out of sight, there’s a light on the deck. One of them is on patrol.’

           ‘There is?’ Marinette glanced at the surface.

           ‘Wait, Mari, don’t-‘ Before Alya could finish Marinette was already swimming to the surface, her tailfin grazing the wood of the ship as she rose.

           She lifted her head cautiously out of the water, catching sight of light coming from the deck. A cautionary tug on her tailfin didn’t draw her attention away from the light, the figure of a human standing against the rail, and the sound of a conversation.

           “-become a Hunter? It’s definitely not for the glamour of the job, is it?” The voice came from the one she could see leaning against the railing. Laughter filled the otherwise silent night.

           Another voice spoke. “Everyone on this ship has their secrets. The reasons for why they’re here, or who they are.” She couldn’t see the one who spoke, but the voice was receding.

           The night went quiet. She held her breath, afraid the sound of her breathing would carry to the human above.

           The water shifted beside her as Alya too poked her head out of the water, taking Marinette’s silence as a cue to remain quiet herself. The figure above barely moved, his shoulders and arms occasionally shifting but he otherwise remained as still as stone. _If only he would turn around._

           Several moments passed. He had still yet to move. With a disappointed flick of her tail Marinette sank quietly under the water, Alya following suit.

           ‘Don’t tell me you’re bored already.’ Alya teased, swimming around the other girl to face her.

           ‘I don’t give up that easily.’ Marinette grinned, playfully pushing a swirl of water towards her friend with a wave of her arm. ‘Let’s wait and see if he does something else. He can’t stay there forever.’

           The two mermaids swam around the boat, looking at it from every angle they could, observing the creation the humans made and sailed. Every pass of the ship they did they stopped to watch the human above. His back was still to the ocean, his head bowed and concentrated on whatever he had in his hands.

           Marinette was examining the strange device on the bottom of the ship’s back end when she heard Alya’s excited clicking. Marinette swam up next to her friend, who was pointing up towards the surface where the human stood.

           With every bit of caution she had Marinette peaked the top half of her head out of the water, eyes wide as she saw the humans face for the first time. He looked out into the distant horizon, expression relaxed and at peace. With the light backlighting him she could make out blond hair, tanned skin, a dark marking surrounding his green peridot eyes…

           She gasped before she could stop herself. In a panic she ducked back into the safety of the ocean. She eyed the blond warily through the shifting water. He hadn’t moved. He hadn’t noticed her. She was safe.

           ‘Mariette, are you okay? What happened?’ Alya’s questioning trill was full of panic. She reached out to brush her hand against Marinette’s arm in worry.

           ‘It’s him.’ She chirped incredulously, like she couldn’t even believe what she was saying herself. Marinette finally turned her blue eyes to her friend, a shining smile filling her face. ‘It’s the human I saved.’

           ‘Wait, are you serious?’ Alya craned her neck to look at the human’s rippling form through the water. ‘Well skewer me and serve me with chips, you’re right.’

           If Marinette hadn’t been in such a gleeful daze she would have asked her friend _‘what the flip are chips?’_ , but she had tuned out Alya altogether as she watched the human. His head was down, but it didn’t look like he was paying any attention to the sea at all. _It should be safe…_

           She breached the surface yet again, blue eyes wide with wonder and curiosity. Without his form blurred by water she could better examine him. Again, his hands were holding something, his attention focused on the object. His lower limbs were partially hidden by the railing, but she could see enough.

           She turned back to look at his face. His eyes were clouded, focused a little too intensely on the thing he was fondling. The white light bathing the deck above made his eyes glow unnaturally, but they weren’t frightening. She’d never seen eyes quite like those, not even on another mermaid. Comparatively, humans had a much smaller eye color variety than themselves, but his eyes were strange. Captivating even.

           And, for a split second, his captivating eyes met hers.

           “Shit-“ The human cursed. Marinette closed her eyes and quickly ducked her head back under the water. Her blood turned to ice. It didn’t help her nerves that something landed in the water next to her head. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest, the small splash was deafening in the silence.

            _It was the object he had been holding?_

           She looked up through the water, but the human was no longer there. The object, however, was. It floated alongside her.

           She was curious, but curiousness without caution lead to disaster, and just within the last 12 hours this rule was clearly expressed to her. But he was gone, right? So then it was okay…

           She snatched the object, bringing it in front of her eyes. _Some kind of… animal?_

           ‘What is that?’ Alya rose to meet her, curious as well about the strange wooden object, reaching out to touch it tentatively with her fingertips.

            _He dropped it on accident, he would probably want it back. If he played with it for that long it must be important._

           Marinette didn’t think. If she did she would have remembered that he was  up there somewhere and that objects just didn’t fly back out of the ocean. She didn’t even acknowledge that Alya was calling her name. She rose as much of herself out of the water as she could before she curled her arm back and threw the wooden object back towards the ship.

           It went over the railing, a satisfying clatter signaling it made it.

           Only then did rationality catch up with her actions. _Oh shit._

           She dove.

           ‘Marinette, what were you thinking?’ Alya’s startled trill sent Marinette into panic mode. _What was I thinking? Why did I just do that?_

           ‘I’m so sorry, I- I don’t know. I didn’t- I thought he would be sad because he was fiddling with it for that long, surely it must be important to him.’ Marinette looked back up through the rippling water. He was there. Looking over the edge of the railing into the water. Looking for _her._ The thought of that sent an excited and fearful shiver down her spine.

           Her friend blew out an agitated bubble, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. ‘Poseidon give me strength to deal with the shit you get us into.’

           ‘I’m so-‘ Marinette froze, her chest tightening and eyes growing wide. Through the sound of blood rushing through her ears and the barrier of water she could hear it. _Chat…?_

           ‘Wait, what’s ‘Chat’?’ Alya’s eyebrow quirked up. Marinette didn’t know she had said anything.

           ‘I- I think that’s his name?’ She turned her ears up as she listened. Indeed, someone new was talking. “-sorry, did I scare-de-cat?”

           ‘There’s someone else there.’ Marinette strained, but couldn’t see whoever it was that was speaking.

           ‘Then I’m guessing that’s our cue to leave for tonight.’ Alya held Marinette’s hand and began to pull her in the direction of the shoals. Marinette followed willingly, but her gaze was drawn back. What was her deal? She’s never acted this way before, not for a human. She’s never been _this_ curious about them, wanting to go out of her way to seek them out on purpose. Risking exposing herself more than just once. But she couldn’t deny it. Something about him was drawing her in. The golden haired one. She was caught in his presence like a fish in a net. It was more than just coincidence that the same human she saved would be the same one who happened to be out tonight when she wanted to observe them. The same one who met her eyes.

           Despite her fear of being found, there was a glowing warmth in her chest that told her she could trust him. Trust Chat.

           She knew she would be seeing him again soon enough.


	3. On The Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things just can't come off the mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait! I've had a couple projects going on that are taking up a lot of free time but here's the newest chapter!

_She stood and waited at the cliffside as she was told. She didn’t know what or who she was waiting for, only that she knew that someone would come to notify her of the payment she had promised._

_The rock was solid under her feet, but the wind threatened to pull her over with any sudden gust. She knew she stood too close to the edge, but she was careful not to lose her balance. The water far below was violent, the waves crashing against the cliff face and exploding into mist which caught the updraft and was carried up to where she stood, teetering on the edge. The carried spray was icy in the late winter air, the cold raising gooseflesh on her skin._

_Tucking herself into her coat she waited. Waited for some messenger to come to her. Waited for her instructions on where to go from here. Waiting for a sign._

_It was taking too long. Maybe she was in the wrong place? Maybe the messenger got lost? A numerous number of things could have happened, and here she stood without a clue. Maybe she should back track, try to go seek out the messenger herself? The light of day was slowly disappearing as night took a hold of the land and sea. If she was to look for the messenger it would have to be now._

_She turned, facing the trail she had followed up to the cliff point, when she saw something peculiar; a butterfly species she’d never seen before. Black as the growing night and glowing ethereally. It left a luminescent lilac trail of sparkling dust behind it as it fluttered its wings, like the bioluminescent plankton disturbed by crashing waves._

_Maybe it was one of the magical creatures that inhabited the land? A faerie? A spirit?_

_She waited to see if it came any closer, and it did. It fluttered and flew surely, making a beeline straight to her. As it neared, she sensed unease. An involuntary shiver went down her spine as it approached. Her instincts told her to keep away from it, but she had always followed her curiosity more than her instincts. She knew if she were to run away every chance she felt afraid or uneasy she would miss something. Something she may never see again._

_So she stuck out her hand and invited the dark butterfly to land on her._

_It fluttered past her outstretched hand and straight to her chest, but instead of landing on her it phased through her. She whipped around, hand placed over the spot the dark butterfly had passed through, only to see the butterfly curve gracefully back around. It returned. Fluttering around her and back into the darkening forest. Perhaps it wanted her to follow?_

_She took a step forward, then froze. Everything else drowned out around her: the smell of the sea, the feel of the wind, the sound of the waves. She could feel nothing, save for a tingling spreading across her skin from the spot the butterfly passed through her. The tingling was similar to that of a body part falling asleep, but rather than diminishing after a few moments the prickling only grew more and more intense. The minor inconvenience of the tingle in her chest quickly changed to pain, the feeling of pricking pins became alarmingly more like the feeling of daggers. She couldn’t move, the pain was too unbearable if she did. She couldn’t scream lest the pain intensified. She couldn't even breathe._

_Her vision began to tunnel, and even though she tried to stay conscious her will was quickly slipping. She felt her legs buckle, the stabbing pain spreading lower and lower. She swayed on a knifes edge until a strong wind pushed her back. She couldn’t keep herself from falling into the wind, and suddenly she felt weightless. She felt like nothing was holding her down, the wind whipped her dark hair around her face and her coat billowed out behind her like the wings she didn't have. Is this what birds felt like when they flew?_

_But she knew that birds had wings to fly. Flying and falling were very similar, but without wings, she had a much more permanent destination._

_She hit the sea head first, the sound of her splash was drowned out by the crash of waves against the cliff side._

Marinette’s eyes opened as a chill went down her spine. Water lapped at her tail and washed over the skin of her stomach. She lifted her head up from the smoothed rock she lay upon. The sun was beginning its movement across the sky, the early morning warmth soaked into her skin and warmed her to the bone despite the unsettling feeling she felt crawl under her skin. She could have laid there all day, trying to banish the cold feeling in her blood if it hadn’t been for a splash and Alya wiggling her way up on the rock next to her, a huge grin on her face. “How are you this fine morning, Marinette?”

Marinette rubbed her sore eyes, the chill fading to nothing, and gave her friend a curious look. “Who are you and what have you done to Alya? You’re far too cheery.”

Alya’s grin widened even more. Scarily more. “I just found out some good news, that’s all.” She lay down on the sun-warmed rock and put her head in her hand. The perfect example of someone hiding a juicy secret.

“Well? What is it?” There was another grin that shouldn’t have been on Alya’s face so early in the morning. Marinette lay down again to face her friend. “Tell me!”

Alya sat up suddenly, scooting her way down the rock and back into the water. As she was doing so she answered: “There are others coming today.”

Marinette’s heart pounded in excitement at her words. Their species traveled in small numbers to prevent attention from most other creatures, but once in a while one group would join with another for a time. This was to connect with the others out beyond their home shores, to spread information and knowledge. It was a rare opportunity for them all, and that kind of news was more than reasonable to be excited about. “Do you know when they’ll arrive?”

“If the currents continue to flow like this they’ll be here soon.”

Marinette slipped off the rock to join Alya in the water. “Do you know who’ll be coming?”

“I’ll give you a hint.” Alya combed her hair with her fingers, adjusting it so that her hair was covering one eye. Grabbing Marinette’s hands in between hers and putting on her best flustered expression she did her imitation. “’Marinette! It’s so good to see you again! You look great, as always. It’s been a while! I love you!’” Alya released Marinette and pushed her hair back to its usual place. “That enough of a hint for you or do I need to get even more specific?”

“That was the worst imitation of Nathanael I have ever seen.”

“But how is it the worst if you knew exactly who I was talking about?” Alya eyed Marinette mischievously.

“Because you constantly tease me about him like that whenever he’s mentioned.” Marinette flicked a water droplet at her friend. It missed its target.

“Ok, maybe I did exaggerate a little bit,” She shrugged and moved away, Marinette followed closely. “But I bet you my tailfin that he says at least half of what I said.”

“You’re on.”

They bantered while they moved around the rocky shore and towards the other two members of their little family.

“There you are. What took you so long?” Aurore was lounging in the early morning sun against a flat rock, her dark purple tail shimmered with hints of light blue in the sunlight. Her icy eyes watched them lazily as they approached. Alix was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Alix?” Alya looked around as she lifted herself onto the rock beside Aurore.

“Went to swim off some steam. You know how antsy she gets waiting, especially when others come. She’s not exactly the patient type.” Aurore sat up, her hands going to her hair to start braiding it back in boredom.

“Don’t we all know that.” Alya lay back, her arms behind her head and eyes closed to the warmth. “Given Alix, she won’t be back for a while. Why don’t we soak up some sun and enjoy this while it lasts. The warm season will be over before you know it.”

“Here it will be, but we won’t be here when it gets colder.” Aurore shifted to lay beside Alya, the two the definition of content.

“If only we could stay somewhere warm year round. We wouldn’t have to migrate so often.” Alya grumbled, turning herself over on her stomach and exposing her back to the sun.

“You have brought this up every single year I’ve known you, and it’s been so long I can’t even remember how long it’s been. You know we can’t.”

“I know. No harm in wishful thinking.”

They lay there in silence, the two basking while the third remained in the water, lost in her thoughts. Marinette was staring out at the horizon. She knew that the ship would be long gone by now. Humans were always rushing from place to place, like they were running out of time. Like they knew how short their lives were. They wake up early and start their day before most other creatures even begin to stir. They moved so quickly -always driven with some kind of goal she never really understood- that they never really stopped to lay down and lounge and watch the world move around them.

The memory of the blond from last night flashed through her mind. He had stopped. He had looked out into the night with such a look of peace it surprised her. He had taken a moment to pause and watch the world in awe and tranquility.

She may never see another human like that again. She only hoped that her instinctual feeling of seeing _him_ again was correct.

Suddenly water covered her vision. She sputtered, hands flying to move her hair out of her eyes.

“Marinette, we called you like four times. You okay?” Alya looked at her in concern, her eyebrows knitted together in worry.

“I’m fine, why?” She pushed her wet hair back, eyes flitting between the two others who looked down on her in confusion. They continued to watch her closely, like their stare could unravel her and reveal exactly what it was she was hiding. When Aurore failed to peel back Marinette’s veil she shrugged and lay back down, but Alya’s knowing gaze showed that she had some idea of what was on Marinette’s mind. Soon she too looked away with a shrug and laid back to continue basking.

Marinette hopped up onto an adjacent rock and continued to stare out towards the sea. The day was pleasantly calm, the wind picking up in their small cove to become a caressing touch across their skin and scales.

Minutes could have passed, hours could have passed, but who was keeping track when they were relaxing without a care in the world.

“Guys!” The three of them jumped, Aurore screeched, as Alix’s sudden greeting startled them out of their leisure.

“There you are-“ Aurore started to say, but Alix interrupted her in a panic.

“There’s a ship, coming this way. It’ll be rounding the shoals in less than a minute. We have to dive.” Her deep blue eyes were wide in a panic.

None of them moved, the reality of the situation didn’t dawn on them completely until they heard the telltale sound of something large breaking the water from around the other side of the shoals, just out of sight. “Sometime this century would be nice.” Alix gestured to them franticly and quickly dove under.

In the blink of an eye Aurore was under as well and swimming down into deeper water. Alya took a flying shove off the rocks, ungracefully following after the two in a splash. Marinette was last to dive, because she wanted to get a look at the ship before she hid. To check if it was the same one she was so drawn to.

It quickly came into view, rounding the corner with all the intimidation of a hungry shark. Her head remained just barely out of the water, just enough for her eyes to be surface-side.

The huge ship was in full sight now, the massive form cutting through the water effortlessly. She recognized it. This was the same ship, she felt that strange curiosity take hold of her yet again as she saw the massive thing in all its glory for the first time in the daylight. But where was the blond? This ‘Chat’ person? She quickly scanned what she could see from this distance. She could tell the ship was swarming with humans. All running about and doing whatever it was they did in haste. There were many more humans than she expected. Heads of dark and light hair flitted about, but she was only interested in one.

_There._

She saw him. Saw ‘Chat’, if that was his name. His golden hair was flowing like it was its own kind of liquid. He was standing by the edge closest to her, his attention focused the human beside him.

Her curiosity was satisfied. She dove into the water with a smile on her face and pushed with all her might, quickly descending into the darker water and out of sight of the ship above. The lurking mass passed overhead harmlessly as she swam out further towards it. It wasn’t a threat at this distance. No human could see this far under the water. She and her family were safe for now.

* * *

 

Adrien woke with a start, his body being shaken by a visibly groggy Nino. “Get up dude, we have to raise the sails.” Adrien sat up slowly, his eyelids felt like lead. _Having a 1 am shift this entire week is going to take 7 of the 9 lives I don’t actually have._ He turned his gaze to Nino who was sitting on the floor tying his shoes. “We have to be docked by noon.”

“Why so soon? We only left port yesterday.” Adrien rubbed his eyes, careful not to disturb the set of his mask.

“Well we also had an Akuma attack yesterday.” Nino stood and grabbed a shirt, hauling it over his head as he grumbled to himself. “It’s like they purposefully want to wreck our shit the moment we get it all fixed up and everything. This is why we can’t have nice things...”

Adrien groggily followed his steaming friend’s example, grabbing his now dry shirt and slipping it over his head. Maybe it was a good idea they were going to port today. He had more time to sleep while the ship was being fixed.

He slipped his feet into his shoes, not bothering to undo the laces and put them on properly like a normal human being. No, he was far too lazy to do that like a normal person.

Yawning, he stumbled behind Nino as they made their way up to the main deck. The others were slowly filing out with them, all either just as exhausted as Nino and Adrien were or unnaturally ready for a half day of sailing. Adrien could hear Nino grumbling under his breath about ‘unnatural bastards’ and ‘people who are wide awake this early in the morning aren’t human’.

Adrien couldn’t help but agree, but it certainly didn’t help his own case that he only finished his night shift 3 and a half hours ago, and that the crew usually didn’t wake up at 530 in the morning.

The captain’s heavy steps were unmistakable on the deck. The crew put aside their grievances the moment they heard those footsteps. “There are holes in the sails that need to be patched before we can set sail. Hope you men can patch a sail better than you can patch your clothing.” The captain pulled on one of the mainsails ties. “We have to be in port before noon to get this ship fixed up and ready to sail again. So get to it.” A handful of crewmen took up the job of getting the mainsail down, leaving the mizzenmast and jib for the crew left over.

Taking a moment to stretch out his hands and arms Adrien began his work on the jib. Being the smallest of the sails, it was easier and quicker to fix, but with only him and Nino working on it, it took just as long to fix as the other sails. It was tedious work. More than once he pricked himself with the needles, and the glue was never off his hands, his skin sticking to anything and everything he touched. The mainsail had sustained the most damage, but they had to replace all the sails regardless once they got to port.

Rigging the sails once they were satisfyingly fixed was a whole other time consuming issue in itself: putting the massive sails back onto their booms, attaching all its ropes and hooks to the right places, then hauling it up.

By the time they were finished with the jib it was nearing 8.

When all the sails had been fixed and raised another half hour had passed, but they were finally ready to head to port.

The wind began to pick up in their favour as the ship started its meticulous trip back to land at a quick clip, the sails snapping into rigidness as the wind filled them.

They had to constantly keep their eyes on the sails and on the horizon, just in case the shoddy patchwork on the mainsail failed them. The sun began to quickly warm up the ship deck. Jackets were shed and tossed into dark corners of the deck. The same went for some shirts. The wind helped beating the heat; the air cooling their skin at the same rate it was heated by the sun.

All seemed to be going well: the sails held up, the wind was steady and strong, when Ivan, from the port bow, called out in his usual low, intimidating voice. “We’re approaching some shoals, Captain.”

Everyone turned their heads to the front, eyes searching out the shoals. The line of rocky land was like a barrier on the horizon, extending far on both sides of their position. They would have to go around.

“That storm must have pushed us further south than I thought.” Adrien could hear Max behind him muttering.

The captain’s heavy boots ran up to the helm. Adrien could hear inaudible yet concerned murmuring behind him. A conclusion must have been quickly reached because the ships bow began to point south.

They quickly neared the shoals, getting close enough to clearly see seabirds hopping on the rocks. The rocky shore gave way to a barren sandy spit of land, foliage limited to a few trees and shrubs. If the ship ever sank near here at least they would have the basic resources needed to survive maybe a few days if dehydration didn't get them first.

He continued to watch the rocky shore as they passed. There was nothing else better to do than to watch the wildlife.

“Chat, you okay dude?” A hand clasped his shoulder, dragging his attention away from the rocks. “You look like you’re spacing out there.”

“No, I’m good, just watching the birds. Just wasting time because there’s nothing else to do.”

“I guess you’re right.” Nino turned his eyes to the rocks, nodding in agreement.

Adrien turned his gaze back to the rocks, expecting to see only more white birds against even more grey rocks, but his sight was immediately drawn to something much more intriguing than stone grey and the blue of the ocean.

A large, black tail, far bigger than any fish he’d ever seen, disappeared under the surface.

He blinked once. Hoping what he saw was a heat induced hallucination.

Twice, because the ripples caused from the creature were still moving across the water, further proving that what he saw was not, in fact, a heat induced hallucination.

“Nino, did you-“ He turned to his friend, but his question faltered at the expression on Nino’s face. He was wide-eyed, his expression a collage of multiple emotions: questioning, realization, curiosity, fear. All in that particular order. Only after he went through all those expressions did he look back at Adrien in alarm. The look in Nino’s eyes confirmed Adrien of the question he was asking himself. “That wasn’t a fish, was it?”

Nino’s alarmed expression softened, but the underlying fear still lingered in his eyes as he turned to look back at the rocks. After knowing him for so long Adrien could read him easily. “No. That wasn’t a fish.” His voice was strange. Sad and lamenting even. If he hadn’t been answering Adrien’s question it would have sounded like he was talking to himself.

“So, what was it then? Is it something we should warn the captain about?” Adrien turned to leave, but Nino’s hand grasping his arm stopped him.

“We have nothing to worry about unless we agitate them.”

Adrien's skin began to crawl at the mention of 'them'. “And what exactly is ‘them’?” He pushed the question, moving into Nino’s peripheral.

Nino was silent as he watched the waters, his eyebrows knit together in concentration. Perhaps he was trying to find the creature in the water? Nino continued to avoid the question. Adrien almost gave up asking him when Nino finally opened his mouth.

"Mermaids."

* * *

 

The ship was long gone -headed straight to the shore in the distance- so the four of them came out of hiding in the deep water and took their position back at the rocks they claimed.

"I don't know about you, but I'm gonna take a nap because these last few days have been full of exciting things that I literally never asked for in the first place. Wake me up when the others get here." Aurore pulled herself up and onto the rock she had previously vacated.

As her eyes closed excited clicking filled the water. Aurore sighed, her eyes opening and looking at nothing in particular in exasperation. "They're here, aren't they?" Her question was met with the sound of the water being breached.

"Rose! Nathanael! Mireille! It's so nice to see you!" Alya rushed forward at the same time the addressed did. Alya hurried to Mireille as the other girl grinned and laughed in greeting.

"It's so nice to finally take a break! We've been swimming for six days straight, it doesn't help two of the three of us aren't really built for speed." Mireille looked at Rose and Nathanael in sympathy. With her streamline aqua tail she could have made the trip in three days, but Nathanael and Rose both had tails not adequate for speed. With their flowing rounded fins they had a much harder time keeping up.

Nathanael passed Alya, heading straight for Marinette instead. His smile filled his whole face as he swam up to her. "Marinette! It's so good to see you again! It's been a while," Alya glanced over her shoulder and looked back at Marinette, snickering. Marinette held herself back from throwing a look back at the auburn mermaid. "How have you been?"

"I've been good. What about yourself? Do you need to lay and rest? Traveling for six days isn't the greatest thing for your health." She backed up towards the sun-warmed rocks behind her, gesturing for the red-haired merman to make himself comfortable.

"I'm fine. I'm not meant for speed, but I make up for it in stamina after doing this so many times." He emphasized his point by doing a small circle, his violet and white-striped tail pushing him through the water gracefully. After he completed his circle he moved beside Marinette, his icy blue eyes focusing on the others mingling. They rested in silence, listening to the others half-heartedly until Nathanael whispered under his breath.

Marinette turned her head hoping to catch what he said, only to find that he was already looking at her. His eyes were sad and pleading. Another emotion flickered in the icy blue that was staring her down. She recognized that emotion in the eyes of lovers on the beach. In the faces of sailors as shore came into their sight. In glowing green eyes that stared out into a still night in awe and inspiration.

But she didn't reciprocate the feelings he clearly had for her. The guilt felt worse than a shark's bite.

Nathanael knew this too. He knew that she didn't feel the same way about him as he felt about her and he respected that, but it still didn't stop him from loving her.

Their tense moment was interrupted (thankfully). Alya came and grabbed Marinette's and Nathanael's hands, dragging them towards the other four mermaids while mentioning something about "socializing".

The combined group told their stories and recounted events. Almost getting caught by humans on shore, running into a pod of selkies while they were north for a time. Having close calls with the monsters that frequently prowled the deeper waters further from shore.

"Yeah, we almost got caught in a fight between a monster and a ship." Alix chimed in, her deep blue eyes flashing. "It was amazing. A storm came out of nowhere and the monster breeched and took on a huge ship full of humans. What were they called… guns? Yeah, the humans used guns to attack the serpent. We were just on our way back here from an outing when it happened."

"A serpent?" Mireille mused, her eyebrows rising in awe. "We've never run into a serpent before."

"Maybe the soul had especially strong feelings when they were taken over? Or they were easily emotional when they were alive?" Rose chimed in with her delicate voice, her finger going up to her chin in a quizzical look.

"We don't know. We didn't stick around to find out." Aurore answered, her gaze flicking over to Marinette and Alya. "Though some of us did."

The weight of 5 pairs of eyes landed on Marinette. She just wanted to disappear from their astonished and perturbed gazes. She didn't need to even look at Nathanael to know that he was frightened and wanted to scold her. The tense air was back between them and it sparked with anxiety. It was only multiplied by the four other mermaids staring at her.

The awkward silence was broken by three voices, firing at her one after the other. "Please tell me you didn't interfere. You know we have to stay away from the humans let alone the evil creatures." Mireille was stern and clearly agitated.

"What was it like? The fight?" Rose's eyes sparkled in curiosity.

"Marinette," Nathanael's voice was quiet, a whisper, like he almost couldn't believe the rash action Marinette took.

Marinette's gaze flickered between the three of them. She needed an out. She didn't want to face those looks on her family's faces. She had hoped that her actions would be a secret between her and Alya, but it seemed that hope was gone as she felt small under the stares of the others. She knew she betrayed them, all of them, for putting them in danger because she meddled with the human's affairs. It turned out fine in the end, but she went back. She went back again to seek them out willingly. Not only that but she couldn't stop the blond from invading her thoughts. She was swimming at the edge of a riptide. One miscalculated move would send her into a dangerous spiral. She felt like there was a frayed rope in her stomach. One disturbance was all it would take to snap it.

Alya could sense her friend's distress. She quickly moved in front of her dark haired friend in a vain attempt to shield her. "We only stayed for a little bit. We were curious to see how it played out. We didn't reveal ourselves to either party." Aurore agitatedly responded, but Marinette didn't listen. The rest of the tense conversation faded to white noise as Marinette stared out, eyes stinging from tears that weren't there. Afterall,

Mermaids couldn't cry.

Her skin was touched with the gentleness of a feather, but it felt like an anchor weighing her down. She looked at the owner, meeting icy eyes and red hair. Nathanael's eyebrows were knit in concern, his mouth forming 'Marinette' but no sound followed.

The frayed rope snapped.

She pushed away, chest heaving as she frantically swam back to the rocks and around the bend of the shoals. She needed to get away from the weight of their eyes.

The rest of them looked on in concern. Nathanael called out for the disappearing mermaid and began to pursue her before his arm was grabbed by a dark skinned hand.

"It's been a pretty stimulating couple days for us all. Give her some time, I'll go get her soon." Alya watched the last flick of a red and black tail disappear around the bend of the rocks before she released Nathanael.

Alya allowed a fair amount of time to pass before she went to look for her friend. She left the group at the cove they claimed as she swam the length of the rocky shore. She knew exactly where Marinette would go.

A dark cave nestled in a discrete nook offered shade and shelter from the elements as well as prying eyes of both humans and mermaids. It was the perfect hideaway.

Alya swam into the shadowed cave, following the path of the water to the innermost area. It was a tight place that ended with an area of land big enough for several mermaids when the tide was favourable. When it wasn't there was only room enough for one to lounge. An opening in the rocks protecting the safe place allowed either golden sunlight or white moonlight to filter in and illuminate the dark. It was peaceful and quiet save for the lapping of the water against the smoothed rocks.

There she found Marinette. Curled up in the small patch of sunlight, her tailfin tips barely brushing the surface of the water. She was quiet, but awake. Her tail twitched as the sound of disturbed water filled the cave.

"You know I would never put the others in any danger, right?" Marinette spoke, her voice was smooth but strained. Alya swam forward and pushed herself up onto the rock beside her friend, her hand immediately going to rub comforting circles on her friend's arm.

"Of course you wouldn't. You may be curious to a fault, and stubborn, and maybe reckless sometimes, but you've always been careful. It also helps that the universe seems to appeal to you, you're too lucky for your own good."

Marinette moved, turning her head to look at Alya, a small smile on her lips.

"And even if we get dragged into the worst possible things I'll still be there to help you. Besides, I'm with you all the time anyway. I'm like 50% of your impulse control."

Marinette laughed at that, her smile growing into a wide grin. "I'm so glad to have you. The literal voice of reason to all my bad decisions."

"I think you mean 'our' bad decisions. I may be 50% of your impulse control but I still allow you to do your dangerous things because honestly, living nearly 600 someodd years gets a little dull without a little excitement here and there." Alya poked her friend's side, causing the dark haired mermaid to jolt and giggle at the sudden tickle.

"I would actually lower it to maybe 40%." Marinette held her sides from any more attacks as Alya held her pointer finger out as a playful threat.

"45%"

"Fine. 45%."

The cave filled with laughter, the sound bouncing and echoing down into silence several moments later.

"Shall we head back?" Alya pushed herself back into the water, holding her hand out to assist her friend.

"Sure thi-" Marinette began, but she stopped as she felt some insistent tug in the back of her mind. She must have had an odd expression, Alya called out to her.

"Mari? You okay?"

"Yeah, I just-" Marinette felt that pull again. She knew it was entirely mental, but it almost felt physical. Enough so that she swayed.

"You don't look fine."

"No, I am. I just," Something told her that she needed to follow the incessant pulling. Half of her knew where it wanted her to go, the other half wondered why. "I need to take care of something." Marinette slid into the water beside her friend. "Can you cover for me?"

The look Alya gave her was curious, but if she wanted to say something she didn’t. "Sure."

"I'll be back, don't worry." With that Marinette took a breath and dove, heading straight for the open ocean. She had to skirt around the rocky shore where the others would be awaiting her and Alya's return. Only Alya would return.

Marinette followed the tugging in her mind, swimming towards shore.

* * *

 

By the time they had docked it was past noon, but that was fine because their sails had held up for the most part and the deadline of being in port was only a motivation tactic to make them as miserable that morning as possible so they would want to get to shore as soon as possible so they wouldn't have to stress about the sails. The port they pulled into was nestled in the natural protection of a high hill and seaside cliffs to the north.

The nice thing about being at port again so soon is that the Captain could submit the documentation of their kill so they could all be paid and could go out for drinks yet again. It was a necessity to keep sailors, let alone Hunters, happy after all the danger they go through.

But there was good news and bad news after they sought out the salesman at the dock. The bad news was that he had sold the last mainsail that would fit their ship type just the other day. The good news was that there would be a new shipment coming in the next couple days. This meant more time to hang around and get into trouble at the local bars.

But Adrien didn't feel like bar hopping. Last time he was at a bar wasn't the most pleasant experience. He would be avoiding bars for a while. Trouble always managed to seek him out when he let his guard down. Instead, he watched from the start of the dock as most of the crew bee-lined it to the town. He still had quite a lot of time before dusk, so instead of going back to the ship and hanging about there he turned and jumped off the dock onto the sand. It was the best chance he would have to stock up on driftwood pieces so he wouldn't suffer from boredom once they took off again.

He walked the shoreline, his eyes on the ground as he walked along the wet line in the sand from the rising and falling waves. It still felt like he was on the ship, his center of gravity was all over the place as he felt the world sway and rock around him. Good thing he had been doing this long enough to get used to the sensation and adjust to it.

He jumped as a particularly strong wave crashed and swept water all around him, soaking through his shoes. He had to stop and take off his soaking socks and shoes, dumping the water out of them, before continuing on his walk down the sand.

Wood was easy to come by, and soon his pockets were full of it, but he wasn't ready to go back to the ship just yet. Instead he continued to walk down the shore, leaving behind him a trail of footprints in the wet sand.

It's been a while since he'd just taken a walk down the beach. He wanted to enjoy it while he could. When the town and the docks were on the horizon, a dark blur on the horizon against the cliffs at the far end of the sand, did Adrien stop to look out at the sea. The sun was at enough of an angle on the horizon to make the water shimmer like a million diamonds. The wind had picked up and tossed his hair about in every direction.

If he imagined hard enough he could pretend that he could see this every day for the rest of his life.

His appreciation was interrupted by the flicker of a memory across his vision. An unusually large black tail disappearing underneath the waves. The word Nino said echoed in his ears. _Mermaids._ There was no shortage of benign magical creatures, but mermaids were elusive and dangerous. The many stories he's heard about drownings at their hands. But what Nino said about them was curious. ' _We have nothing to worry about_ '. It sounded like he had personal experience with the creatures.

He would have to ask him about that later. In the meantime he had to start heading back, the sun had begun its descent.

He woke up with a shiver. Adrien looked around in confusion before he recognized the familiar dark of the cabin. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep. He had come back to stash the wood he had retrieved. He collapsed on his bunk with the intent to take a cat nap. At some point his cat nap had turned into a well needed slumber.

Reaching for his watch he stared at the hands. 1:20. _No, I couldn't get an actual night of sleep. Even when my week of 1 am shifts is going to have two fewer days I'm not going to sleep like a normal person. Perfect_. Sighing he tossed his legs over the side of his bunk. Thankfully he had kept his shoes on when he put them back on after getting aboard, otherwise he would have faced the jolting cold of the floorboards.

It was a particularly chilly evening. A draft had wound its way down into the cabin through the door someone had carelessly forgotten to close. He shivered again before he reached for his leather jacket, slipping it on as he tiptoed out of the cabin and through the ship to the stairs.

The wind had died down to a chill breeze between the time he came back and now. It carried the scent of salt and seaweed. Not the most pleasant of smells but common enough that he didn't mind it now.

Leaning against the railing he stared out at the cliffs. They were nothing more than a dark shape towering over him in the dark, but were none the less as intimidating as they were when they arrived. They were almost strangely ominous. Of course, all seaside cliffs were a force to be wary around, but these cliffs in particular held a danger that was more than just for ships.

He looked away from the looming cliffs and out to the dark sea. It was anything but the serene mirror-like look from last night. The waters were choppy from the light wind, the moonlight shimmered and wavered on the dark water. Suddenly the strange occurrence from last night came to mind. He had almost forgotten about it. How could he have forgotten? He had clearly dropped his carving into the water, but something had tossed it back to him.

A black tail flashed across his mind.

He shook his head. It couldn't possibly be that simple. Coincidences don't just happen like that. They happen in stories, in fairy tales of the princess and the prince. They don't happen in real life.

And most certainly not to him. He wasn't nearly that lucky.

But as he thought about the probability of that happening, he began to doubt himself. Something was out there yesterday, what about tonight? If there was any sliver of chance… His mouth opened before he knew what he was doing. "Hello?" He called out into the dark.

 _What am I doing?_ Adrien mentally slapped himself as his eyebrows furrowed. The only following sound was that of water lapping at the hull and the shore. _Of course there's no response. Nothing is out there._ But what was the harm in double checking? He didn't know for sure unless he tried, right?

He looked over his shoulders to make sure he was alone before he called out again. "Hello?" Again, his voice was silenced by the sound of waves. _I probably look like an idiot talking to myself_. He leaned down and rested his chin on his crossed arms, letting the cool wind brush his skin and hair. His eyelids drooped.

 _Knock knock_.


	4. Fairytales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After 17000 words the two nerds finally formally meet. Forgotten dreams that shouldn't be happening in the first place. Impatience and questions and bets of sexuality behind Adrien's back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: apparently copying and pasting into the chapter text didn't like the italics and bolding so I had to go back and redo that wh oops

          _What was she doing?_

          She had followed the tugging to the shore towards the ship she knew she was being pulled to. The sun was descending rapidly now, casting the land before her in shades of orange and red. It looked almost as colorful as a coral reef. Almost. There weren't enough blues and greens in the land-dyed-orange.

          She headed straight to the familiar ship. It was still. Rope attached it to a wooden structure elevated above the water. She didn't really know what to make of the strange human creation but she approached it anyway. Swimming underneath it she found that she could look through the cracks and see the humans above. Despite her proximity they couldn't see her.

          She was at a clear advantage in the safety of the strange human creation. She remained in the shadows underneath until the sun dipped under the water in the horizon and the moon began its ascent. Only then, when the only sound filling the night was the lapping of water against the wood, did she venture out. She swam the length of the strange structure, examining it as she swam closer and closer to the sandy shore. But despite all of the other strange and curious things that lay on it, they held no significance to her as much as the familiar ship and the blond human did. Abandoning her examination she went back to the ship.

          She swam around it several times, trying to find any hint of an awake human, but when there was none she found it safe to bob in the ship's shadow. Her gut feeling told her that if she waited long enough, something would happen. She didn't expect it to take as long as it did but when the sound of footsteps above reached her ears she held her breath.

          She smiled when she saw familiar golden hair against the night sky. Of course it would be him, of all humans. She never believed in fate before, but this was becoming ridiculous.

          She had to silence a gasp when she heard him.

          She entertained the idea of responding to him the first time he called out, but she had no idea if he was greeting another human so she remained hidden at the very point of contact between the ship and the water. She was just out of his line of sight hugging the smooth wood, but if he leaned far enough over he would be able to see just the top of her head. She was thankful her hair was dark and not brightly colored like Nathanael's or Rose's.

          But when he had called out the second time she knew that he knew something was there, and not because there was another human with him. That she was there. He sounded confident and curious.

          Now that he knew she was out there, or at least something else, there was no way she could just not answer back. As long as she remained in the shadows of the ship she would be safe. She brought her hand out of the water and tapped the ship with her knuckles just loud enough for him to hear.

          She heard him gasp and move, the wood he was leaning on creaked with the sudden weight of him as he leaned over. She pressed herself as tightly to the ship as possible while still having her head and hand surface-side.

          "Are you there?" His voice was considerably quieter. She could see his eyes scanning the water urgently, hoping to find her. She waited a few seconds until responding. She tapped the ship once.

* * *

 

          One knock. One knock in response to his question. Adrien felt his veins flood with adrenaline as he pulled back from hanging over the railing. If he was tired before he most certainly wasn't now. The mysterious person had made their presence known. He should probably say something.

          "What are you?"

          He waited. There was no response. _Not the talkative type. Can they even talk at all?_

          "Let’s try this: one knock for 'yes' and two for 'no'. Is that okay?"

          He waited. One knock followed shortly. Adrien couldn't remember the last time he had grinned like this. Like a child on Christmas morning.

          "Are… Are you a mermaid?" Adrien eagerly awaited their response, resting the bottom of his ribcage against the wooden railing as he leaned back over.

          A single knock. _Yes_.

          _Making progress_. The things he's heard about mermaids invaded his mind. He had to find out for sure. He took a moment to carefully choose his words before asking.

          "Are you dangerous?" Hopefully he had picked correctly.

          There was a hesitation, but the response came. One knock. _Yes_.

          His heart sunk. He anxiously called out again.

          "Are you going to hurt me?"

          One knock. If he wasn't certain that he was alone he would have thought someone had stabbed him in the heart by the way it ached. A second knock followed shortly. _No_. His heart began to beat again.

          Why was he getting so worked up over this? Was it the joy of having his curiosity sated? The excitement of talking to an actual mermaid? Getting answers to questions that have been infecting his mind like a plague?

          "Are you afraid of us?"

          One knock.

          "Are you afraid of me?"

          A pause. Why did he even ask? _What difference does it make if it's me?_

          Two rapid knocks. He almost stopped breathing. If anyone was to see him right now they would have been thoroughly concerned at his expression of unadulterated joy. _Calm down. Take it down a notch, Adrien_. He took a few breaths before he relaxed against the railing. He looked down at the dark water, hoping to see the mermaid in question appear from wherever it was she was hiding. But he knew it wouldn't be as simple as that. If he was in her position, he wouldn't reveal himself either until he had some trust.

          "You're right. You have nothing to fear from me." He spoke softly and calmly. He wanted to be as non-threatening as possible. "I won't hurt you, I promise." He heard water shifting, but there was still no sign of the mermaid. "You're afraid of us, I can understand why. Humans kill anything that we see as a threat, which in some instances include mermaids. I'm one to talk though. I've killed too many Akuma to count, but I swear that I have never seen a mermaid let alone harmed one, and I won't start now. You won't hurt me, and I swear I will not hurt you."

          Silence. He wondered if he had scared her off by accident. He hoped he didn't.

          There were knocks, but it didn't come from below him. He spun around, staring at the other side of the ship like a startled deer. Taking careful, quiet steps forward he approached the source of the noise. His nervousness mounted the closer he got to the railing. He moved slowly as he peered over the edge. He held his breath. He saw…

          Nothing.

          He sighed, but there was still something strange about the mermaid leading him here. Why would she draw him out to the other side of the ship? He narrowed his eyes in concentration, because of course, people could see better when their field of vision was smaller and blurrier.

          But he did notice something even with his self-hindered vision. A shadow moved under the dock just below him. He intently followed the strange shadow with his eyes, the world in his peripherals fading away as that one thing took his complete attention.

          Water rippled out from the shadow and spread in the small space between the dock and the ship. The shadow moved, the ripples trailing with it towards the open end of the dock. He followed like a wake, keeping the distance between them the same as he jogged along the deck.

          The shadow stopped. He stopped. They were both at the ends of their respective roads. The two of them were frozen in climbing anticipation as the seconds felt like hours.

          Then the mermaid slowly moved out of the shadows and into the light. Soft white moonlight hit midnight colored hair which fanned out in the water around softer, glowing skin. A pale hand held onto a lock of hair near her jaw. A clearly nervous action. His eyes continued to travel up a soft jawline, pink lips, a delicate nose, until finally he allowed himself to look her in the eyes. They were wide and glowing sky blue even in the dark.

          The stories he's heard all confirmed that mermaids were beautiful beings, but he hadn't prepared himself for this. She was downright ethereal.

          The silence was awkward. He had to say something! "Hi." His voice came out fast and clearly flustered. _What was that? What was **that**?!_ He didn't know what else to say, he just blurted out the first thing that he could get off his tongue. He refused to physically cringe at the stupidity of his action.

          His hope was restored by light laughter. It was pure, like a child's. He couldn't help but smile at the sound.

          She looked up at him, her bright eyes crinkling with a smile. "Hello yourself, Chat." Her voice was silken. Music to his ears. No wonder sailors have been lured to their deaths at the sound of their song. He let her words bounce around in his head before they completely hit him.

          "Wait, what did you say?"

          Her light expression sunk into worry. "Is- is that not your name?"

          "No. I mean, yes, it is, technically. How'd you know, though?"

          Her face turned several shades darker in the moonlight. "I, uhh," She pulled herself closer to the dock post. That, with her stuttering, made her embarrassment clear. He grinned. _Cute_. "Yesterday night. I may have overheard it."

          "Oh really now." He leaned against the railing and mustered up as much suave swagger as he could. Raising an eyebrow he looked down at the mermaid questioningly. "And exactly what were you doing hanging around a ship in the middle of the night?"

          Her cheeks puffed. _She's far too cute._ "I could ask you the same thing. What were you of all humans doing so late at night?"

          "That happens to be my job this week." Her head tilted just ever so slightly. "It's something I've been ordered to do." Her eyes narrowed as if she had asked a question. _Why_? "It was my shift to keep an eye out for Akuma." Her expression relaxed as her lips formed an 'o' shape. "But wait, you said 'you of all humans'. What do you mean by that?"

          "Do you humans ever sleep?"

          "As of lately, not very well. And you're avoiding the question." His laughter echoed off the water in the short silence that followed. She looked away, her lips moving silently. Finally she met his eyes.

          "Because lately we've been swimming in-… shipping into?" She looked around the dark water like she was trying to find something. She must have found it because her eyes widened before looking back at him. "Because lately we've been crossing wakes."

          Crossing wakes? Did she mean crossing paths? "How many times have we crossed 'wakes' before?"

          She paused, bringing up her fingers to count. "Four, in the last two days."

          "So now, last night." He held up his own fingers, counting on them while he watched her nod. "Was that you at the shoals we passed?" She hesitated, but nodded in agreement. _I was right_. "Ok. That's three, but when was the fourth?"

          "When the serpent attacked your ship." He stared out, the memory of the fight just days ago still fresh in his mind. Clashing teeth too close for comfort, the feeling of thrashing underneath the weight of the fallen serpent.

          "-kay? Chat?" He was pulled from his thoughts by a worried call. He blinked several times before responding.

          "Yeah, sorry. But why were you there? When did you see me?"

          She turned away, looking out at the dark horizon. "It's a long story."

          "And I have all night." He smiled before getting into a comfortable leaning position against the railing.

          She paused again before sighing and pulling away from the dock post. "My family and I had left the shoals you passed earlier that day, and we were on our way back to them when we got caught in a storm. We knew it wasn't a natural storm immediately, the energy was strange. We knew something was wrong, but we just wanted to get back as fast as we could, so we continued through the storm. That's when we ran into the serpent. It was a powerful monster, more powerful than they usually are. We began to swim away as fast as we could. When we noticed it wasn't coming after us we looked back. Your ship was there.

          "The serpent went after you. Half of us escaped while we could, but me and one other stayed. I wanted to get closer, even though I knew it was dangerous. I was worried for you humans. If any of you died then more monsters might have been born because of it, and I didn't want that to happen. I wanted to do what I could to prevent another monster from coming into existence because they're a threat to both of us.

          "I swam closer, and then you fell into the water." As she told her story the memories of what happened replayed. He could still feel the impact with the water when he fell overboard. "I hovered nearby, watching the fight play out. You were defenseless, but you survived until the serpent's death. And then you were stuck." The weight and darkness of the Akuma played once again in his mind. He had to focus on his breathing to stay focused to the mermaid. "You… You were drowning, and I couldn't just let you die. I brought you to the surface so the other humans could retrieve you." The spots of blue. The blue he saw wasn't a dying hallucination, they were her! Looking at her eyes now he couldn't believe he had missed it. The sky blue of her eyes glowed hypnotically in the dark even now.

          "You saved me?" Adrien could only ask in shock. The mermaid below rubbed her upper arm nervously under his awe-stricken gaze.

          "Well, yeah. Like I said, I couldn't just let you die."

          "You saved me." He repeated it again lest this was all a dream and would forget it once he woke up.

          "I'm pretty sure we just established this."

          "I'm sorry, it's just that I never really thought things like this could happen in real life. You hear about these things all the time in fairytales, I just had to make sure that this was really happening."

          The mermaid's eyebrow rose questioningly. "Faeries have tails?"

          Adrien couldn't help but laugh at her question. He doubled over the railing, tears starting to bud in the corners of his eyes. By the look on her face she didn't understand the humor of it. "Why are you laughing?

          "Sorry. It's not 'faerie tails' as in literal tails, I mean 'fairytales' as in made-up stories." He had to laugh some more before continuing. "Usually told to teach children lessons and morals. They usually involve princess and princes, knights and faraway lands, epic battles of good vs evil. Stuff like that."

          Her eyes were wide with wonder. "What are the first few things you said about what the stories have?"

          "Princesses, princes and knights?"

          She nodded. Did mermaid culture not have stories like these?

          "Well, princesses and princes are basically the same thing, except princesses are girls and princes are boys. They come from royal families and are destined to rule over a kingdom. Knights are guards and warriors. They venture out to go on daring adventures and to show their heroism and bravery in the face of danger. They hunt evil beings and never harm the innocent. But mostly they are devoted to and sworn to protect one person." He concluded his explanation with a smile. The look of awe and wonder on the mermaid's face was so innocent, he hardly believed that this creature who looked at him like a child being given a gift could possibly be dangerous. "Do you not have stories like that?"

          Her expression faltered and fell. He wished he could take back his question. He would have done anything in that moment to get that innocent glimmer back in her eyes instead of a look of defeat. "No. We don't. The only stories we tell like that are of the lives we hoped we led before we ended up living in the sea. Even though they're made up we like to believe that they're true."

          "Wait, you weren't born a mermaid?" His voice nearly came out as a whisper in his state of shock.

          "No. Only a few times has a 'birth' been witnessed by another mermaid, that's how we know where we come from in the first place. We were all human once. A human becomes possessed by dark magic unknowingly and they transform. But we can't remember our past lives. The only thing we're allowed to keep is our name." She smiled sadly up at him. He swore he felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach and shatter. He thought being tied down by his father's shackles and nearly dying was bad.

          "I'm so sorry." He wanted to say more than that, but he didn't really know what else he could say.

          "It's okay, really. The good thing about forgetting who you were is that you can't be sad about what you're missing."

          They remained quiet after that, both lost in their own thoughts. Adrien could only imagine what it would have been like. To wake up without any memories in the cold, dark sea. Lost and alone, swimming aimlessly. He watched her carefully from above. She stared out at the sea. What she was thinking was beyond him.

          She startled him by breaking the silence first. "It's getting late. We should get some sleep." She looked up at the sky. The moon had since long left its highest point. He quickly checked his watch. 2:20.

          "Yeah, probably." He put his watch away and turned to look back at glowing blue eyes. "Can I see you again? Tomorrow night, same time?" He desperately wanted to see her again. She brought out a side of him even he didn't know he had.

          She quickly looked out at the ocean warily before she answered with a smile. "Tomorrow. Same time."

          "Purrfect." Oh _god. What was **that**?!_ He should really watch his own damn tongue more often. Now was not the time to pun.

          "Oh, and Chat? Please don't tell any other humans about me, okay? You said you wouldn't hurt me, but I still don't trust them." He silently thanked any gods out there that she didn't notice his tongue slip.

          "The crew isn't bad, but I swear I'll protect you from them. They won't know a thing." He straightened up, getting his aching body back into a normal position once again.

          She nodded, but something sparked in her eyes at a sudden realization. "Does that mean you're my knight?"

          He sputtered, taken back at her sudden question. Heat began to rise to the surface of his cheeks. Where the hell did the tales of mermaids being dangerous, man-killing creatures even come from if they said things like this? _She's too damn cute for her own good._ He wasn't prepared for this. _She's not wrong, though._ "Yes, I guess it does mean I'm your knight." He couldn't stop his smile even if he wanted to. 'Knight' Chat Noir did have a nice ring to it.

          Her face lit up in the moonlight at the confirmation. "Same time tomorrow. Goodnight, Chat." With that she disappeared, her dark hair melting into even darker water. He was left alone staring at the spot she once occupied.

          It just wasn't _fair_. He's met hundreds of girls, _hell_ , he's met hundreds of people in general, and yet none of them made him feel the way she made him feel, and they weren't even the same _species_ (currently). This was one person he actually wouldn't mind being around (besides Nino) but the only way that could happen is under the cover of night. He wanted to know more about magical creatures. He wanted to know more about mermaids.

          He wanted to know more about her.

          Damnit, he couldn't stop blushing. That 'you're my knight' comment really did him in. He couldn't wait to talk to her again tomorrow night, but for tonight he had to try to sleep. Who knows what would be happening tomorrow. He left his spot at the railing and tiptoed his way back to the cabin.

          It dawned on him only then that he didn't even know her name.

* * *

 

          For a human, he wasn't what she expected.

          Listening to them aboard ships and along the coasts taught her that they were predictable and kept mostly to their own unless they acted towards a common goal. Seeing them fight taught her that they were dangerous, and to be wary of most because they sought after fighting like an addiction.

          He was different. He was unpredictable, and that frightened her, but at the same time he was cautious and careful around her. He made her feel safe and comfortable.

          She didn't fear him. This was the only human since she was reborn that she's actually been this close to willingly, and she wasn't afraid of him.

          It perplexed her to say the least. The last human she was around had tried to kill her after she got caught in his fishing net. It wasn't her fault, nets were troublesome to all sea creatures. He could have let her go peacefully but instead he decided to try to kill her. It wasn't her fault he never made it to shore.

          But Chat was gentle and curious. Most of all, he had sworn to protect her. He was her 'knight'.

          It also helped that now that she had a good look at him, he was incredibly attractive for a human. If she didn't know he wasn't a human or had a fish's tail she would have suspected him for a mermaid or even another magical being.

          But there was something different about him. What it was for sure, she couldn't tell.

          She decided to leave the subject be as she settled down for the rest of the night against the cool sand beneath the wooden structure above her. She fell asleep thinking about calming green eyes.

          Her sleep was far less calming.

      _Midwinter was bleak and dull in the town nestled by the sea cliffs. Despite the advantage of the cliff's protection from the cold north winds, this year the cliffs weren't enough to stop the cold. And with it the cold brought sickness._

_The people were dying slowly and painfully due to a sickness the winter had brought._

_She and her father were healthy, but her mother had become ill. There was nothing they could do but wait for her to die. She had to do something. Anything._

_There were rumors that a powerful, dangerous sorcerer had taken refuge in the caves along the base of the high hill at which the town lay beside. If offered a price, he could use his power to create miracles. While the rest of the town had run out of hope and refused the sorcerer's services, she had other plans._

_She went out on her own to seek him out._

_The trek through the snow filled forest was bitter. She had taken some of her father's thick fur-lined coats to stay warm. She was thankful for the extra layers after she was forced to seek refuge for the night in a small cave. She brought with her only a small loaf of bread, but still had lots of ground to cover. She fell asleep hungry that night, saving the meal for when she needed it desperately._

_The next day was better. The sun came out if only for a few hours before the snow returned, but she had felt warmer than she ever had before that winter with just that little bit of sun. That little bit of hope that the cold would disappear._

_The dark was approaching quickly when she found it. The caves that were rumored to house the powerful sorcerer. She entered without hesitation. She immediately noticed the warmth of the dark. She followed the winding path of the dark tunnel, her fingers brushing against the cold walls as her navigation, before the orange glow of a fire in the distance sent her sprinting._

_A tall, dark clad man stood beside a fire, watching the concoction in a pot boil away expressionlessly. His otherwise silent home was interrupted by the sound of footsteps at his doorway. Turning his head towards the sound he laid his gaze upon the intruder._

_“Are you the sorcerer?" She hid her nervousness well, but he could still see through that guise. She was timid, like a rabbit in a foxes den._

_“Among other terms, yes. Now, what are you doing here?” The sorcerer asked in hostility, his dark purple eyes narrowing at the girl who stood in the dark entryway. There was fear in her shiver, but she stood tall. She must have been no more than 18 years of age. She clearly had a goal. She was a strong one. This would be interesting._

_“I ask you for your help. My town is sick and dying, and those who aren't are starving. Doctors have been called from other towns but none of them can figure out what the sickness is."_

_“What makes you think I can help you if none of the doctors can?” His voice was smooth as velvet but his glare stared daggers at the girl._

_“Because I’ve heard of the miracles you can do.” She stepped closer to the man who intimidatingly towered over her. “If anyone can help, you can.”_

_His eyebrow raised up in curiosity, his lips stretching into a venomous smile. “And how exactly are you going to compensate me for curing your entire town?” This was going to be oh so easy. “Saving a life is no easy feat, let alone many, even for me.” He’ll make his web, and once she took the bait-_

_“I’ll give you anything you ask of me. If I don’t have a way to pay then you can decide what to do with me. Just save them. Please.” – she would never be able to free herself._

_He had already made up his mind, but he took a moment to think about it theatrically._

_He could practically feel the nervous energy coming from her. It surrounded him like the scent of warm food to a starving man._

_“Very well.” He turned to his shelving and plucked a dark blue bottle from his collection. He turned and held it out to the dark-haired girl. "Place a single drop of this on the tongues of those you wish to save."_

_The girl came forward slowly and he placed the bottle into her waiting hands._

_"Four weeks from today, once you are satisfied that everyone in your town is healthy again, you are to walk up to the clifftop at dusk. There, a messenger will come to you and notify you of the payment due."_

_The girl was silent for a moment, eyes staring at the bottle in awe. "And what if I do not have anything you want for payment?" His venomous smile came back._

_"You will."_

_She left without another word. Just a quick bow of thanks before she turned on her heel and left, cradling the bottle delicately like it was a small creature._

_Oh, if only she knew what she had just offered._

_A soul like hers comes around only a handful of times a lifetime. Even more rarely did it come willingly._

_He knew that all too well._

          She woke up with a start. For a second she looked around in a panic, wondering where she was, before she recalled the night before. She settled back down into the impression she left in the sand with a sigh. Even though she relaxed her muscles, her body was still in a panic. Her blood still pumped loudly in her ears and her heart still beat erratically in her chest despite the assurance that she was safe for the moment.

          Something was setting her nerves off, and it wasn't the unthinkable proximity to the humans loudly walking above her. She needed to swim it off.

          Dragging herself into the deeper water she hugged the sea floor as she headed out to sea undetected by the many humans above her. A swim down the shore a few horizons should be enough to calm her frayed nerves, and she would be back before dusk in time to meet Chat. A smile graced her face as she left the human town to her tailfin.

* * *

 

          He had been on edge all day. His overexcitement for night to fall left Nino in a state of concern for Adrien's mental wellbeing. Even Plagg seemed to notice. The small cat watched him curiously throughout the day from afar, his steady green gaze wide and unwavering on the fidgety blond. While putting up the only sails they could get their hands on until the main came in he had been on overdrive. He took down the tattered jib sail and tied on the new one faster than any of the crew had seen him do before.

          Even the captain had taken notice and grew increasingly concerned.

          "Chat Noir, come here for a minute." Captain Alec blinked a few times in concerned astonishment as the blond practically came skipping up to him. His eyes were bright underneath the dark black mask he never removed.

          "Captain." Adrien stood in front of his commander, bouncing just light enough on the balls of his feet to not be noticed. He couldn't stop moving.

          "I'm," Captain Alec paused, looking between the blond in front of him and the jib sail that was tied perfectly to its boom. "Impressed by your enthusiasm this morning."

          "Thank you, captain." Adrien bowed his head as he thanked him.

          "What seems to be the hurry, Chat? Finally have a date?" The captain looked him up and down, trying to figure out why he was acting so peculiar.

          Adrien in the meantime froze. He kept his face as expressionless as stone. He made a promise, he intended to keep it. "Not particularly, sir. Just finally had a good night of sleep."

          Alec inspected him again. "Indeed." He coughed, looking behind Adrien back at the jib. "Well, keep up the good work then." A quick clap of his hand on Adrien's shoulder and he turned away to see to the preparations of the mizzen. As Adrien turned his back Alec silently prayed in thanks. He hadn't lost the bet yet.

          There wasn't enough to do. Adrien had set the new jib, jogged down the beach, and mopped half the deck because he could before 1 came around. He still had half a day left to go and the hours seemed to pass as slow as years.

          He was planning to sleep early tonight, but that still left him plenty of time for him to go mad. He paced the deck, his nerves failing to settle down despite all the energy he's used that morning alone. With each step he took he thought of another question he could ask her.

          "Dude, you have to stop, you're freaking me out." Nino made his appearance known as he climbed up onto the ship from the dock. His delicate balancing act of an open sandwich in his hand and a wrapped sandwich under his arm was impressive to say the least as he hauled himself on.

          "Sorry Nino, I just can't stop moving. I feel if I do I'll spontaneously combust or something." Adrien stopped his pacing, but his foot continued to bounce where he stood.

          "I'm surprised you have so much energy even though I haven't seen you eat anything all day. Which is why I got you this while I was in town." He pulled the unopened sandwich out from under his arm and held it out for Adrien. He took it, uttering a surprised thanks to his friend.

          The two leaned against the railing eating their sandwiches and stared out at the sea and the cliffs. Nino must have thought of something to say, he hummed out suddenly while he chewed. "I know." He swallowed. "We can go hike the cliffs. That'll get you off this ship and maybe help a little bit with your cabin fever."

          Adrien nibbled on the bread before answering. "It's not cabin fever, trust me. I'm just really… antsy right now." Adrien took a full bite of his sandwich while Nino dead-eyed him.

          "I noticed. In fact I'm pretty sure everyone who has seen you today has noticed. Which is why you need to get off the ship and funnel that boundless energy into appreciating nature." He gestured to the forest that climbed the hillside with both arms.

          "That doesn't take any energy at all though."

          "Don't talk back to me young man, you're coming with me." Nino grabbed Adrien's shoulders and pushed Adrien in front of him, guiding him to the dock.

          "Sorry, Dad." Adrien sarcastically apologized while trying to fight back a smile. No doubt about it: Nino would actually be a great dad. Concerned, caring, thoughtful, and always to the rescue.

          Jumping off the ship onto the dock the two made their way to the shore. Adrien jumped in shock when he felt tiny claws dig into the back of his leg. He paused a moment to allow Plagg to crawl his way up onto his shoulder before he followed Nino away from the town and to the forest.

          Trails had been clearly set by hundreds of years of travelers to and from the town. The weathered paths were easy to find through the dense shrubbery. The air was cool and fresh under the trees under the ancient oaks that created a protective canopy above them. The trail leading to the cliffs was steep, but it was easy to climb. At some point in time stairs had been carved into the earth.

          "So, who's the girl?" Adrien froze, his breath hitching.

          _Avoidance attempt 1: play dumb._ "What do you mean?"

          "Don't play dumb with me." _Failed Avoidance attempt 1_. "I know when you're lying. I heard you with the captain earlier. Now are you gonna tell me who the girl who finally caught your attention is or not?" Nino was leading, but his head turned to throw a questioning look at Adrien.

          _Avoidance attempt 2: can't say._ "I can't tell you."

          "So it is a girl then?" _Avoidance attempt 2 has been… avoided._ This time the tone of Nino's question was suggesting something. Adrien paused in the middle of a step once what his friend was insinuating hit him.

          "Just what are you suggesting?"

          "Hey, the entire crew was wondering about it too. Don't blame me, blame them." He pointed out towards the direction of the bay.

          "Wait, _everyone_ thought I was gay?"

          "Well, most of them thought bi, but that's not too far off, yeah." Nino shrugged before turning his attention back to the stairs.

          "Why?"

          "You're really asking that question? Well for starters there's the mask. I mean come on, do I really need to explain that?" He rose his hand up to his shoulder where Adrien could see it, his pointer finger raised. His middle finger joined in shortly. "Two, you never really showed interest in any girls at the bars, we thought maybe you weren't interested in them because you were interested in guys." His ring finger next. "Three, even Max thought you were bi. He's pretty keen on this kind of thing. And four," His pinky joined the rest of his fingers. "Four is… I forgot four. Anyway, the evidence against you is staggering. Do you have anything to say to the jury, Chat Noir?"

          "I'm saying this to you now with Plagg as my witness: I'm not gay."

          "Judge, I would like to cross examine the accused's cat. Maybe he can _shed_ some light onto the subject."

          Oh god. Puns too. He was rubbing off on Nino, that certainly couldn't be good. _How did they even come to the point of addressing an invisible court room about the case of his sexuality?_ The hilarity of the situation sent both of them into roaring laughter, disturbing the silence of the woods.

          "When I tell the others they're going to have a field day with theories. _The Curious Case of Chat's Sexuality_."

          "On another note, I would like a new conversation, please."

          "So who's that girl?"

          _Avoidance attempt 3: damnit._ "Let's go back to discussing my sexuality, please."

          "No way dude, you're not getting out of this one." Nino stopped forcing Adrien to stop as well. There was no getting out of this.

          He sighed. "I can't tell you. Believe me, if I could you'd be the first to know, but I can't."

          Nino wasn't the type of guy to give up, and that's what Adrien was dreading the most. "Okay."

          _Wait, what?_ "Wait, what?" He was surprised to say the least.

          "So she wants to keep your relationship a secret. That's totally fine dude. I'm just glad someone finally caught your attention." Nino looked over his shoulder, offering a grin to Adrien. He was so glad he had such an understanding friend like him.

          The hike to the top passed by unexcitedly. Other than a few birds, nothing else seemed alive in the forest around them. It was almost eerie. There was something off about the forest around them. It was old for certain, but the closer they got to the top the more and more the air felt stifled and trapped. The hairs on the back of Adrien's arms stood on end, and it wasn't because of the chill in the air from the little sunlight that made it through the thick oak branches above them. Even Plagg seemed to feel what he felt, the small cat's claws pressing harder and harder into the flesh of his shoulder.

          The path leveled out and opened up into a small meadow of blue wildflowers, the sun filled the area with warmth. To their left was the cliff top.

          "Looks like we made it." Nino left to walk towards the cliff, moving slowly and cautiously to the very edge. Adrien followed right behind him.

          Both Hunters looked over the edge. They were greeted by a blast of wind, cold sea spray hitting their faces.

          "Well this is terrifying." Nino stared down at the crashing waves and jagged rocks below. "If there weren't any rocks down there this would be an insane place to dive from."

          His musings was pure commentary, Adrien knew this, but looking down he couldn't help but get the feeling that it's happened before. A haunting feeling set his nerves on edge, as if they weren't already from his earlier excitement.

          Adrien backed away from the edge, turning to the meadow behind him. He immediately felt better getting away from the cliffs edge.

          He walked closer to the blue flowers. They were small and vibrant, fairly uninteresting, but they had a calming effect on him. Maybe it was because they were so close in color to another color blue he had been so fascinated by lately that he liked them.

          "Whatcha looking at?" Nino came up behind him, clapping a hand on the shoulder Plagg wasn't clinging to.

          "Oh, nothing."

          "Exactly. Let me show you something." Nino turned his shoulder and guided him to the cliff edge again. "Ok, stand just there, now look over there." Nino pointed out. Adrien followed his finger.

          He saw the _Miraculous_ floating below, the town rested just further to the left. They had the perfect vantage point of the entire bay.

          "I wonder why they haven't built a lighthouse or something up here yet." With a view of the entire bay it would be advantageous to have a lookout or a lighthouse here, but the entire hill looked completely untouched on their way up. It brought up a lot of questions.

          "The guy at the bar yesterday talked about faeries or spirits or something. I can't remember what it was exactly but he said something lives here." Nino mused as he watched their ship and the specks of people move about far below.

          "Do you believe those creatures exist?"

          "We hunt giant sea monsters. I've seen mermaids in person before. I'd be an idiot not to believe that spirits and fae exist."

          "Wait, when have you seen mermaids?" Adrien had never heard Nino mention anything about mermaids before yesterday at the shoals, this was a surprise to him.

          Nino's eyes widened nervously. "Umm, it was a long time ago. A long, long time ago." He waved his hand dismissively before he turned and walked away back towards the direction they came from. "Well this was fun. If we want to make it back before dark we should probably head out." He said no more as his silhouette faded into the trees.

          Adrien would have to get more out of him later. His curiosity has been piqued and Nino couldn't just leave him hanging there without an explanation.

          But he would wait to ask. He had too much on his mind currently. All he could think about was that once he got back he would fall into sleep effortlessly. His watch set to go off at 1.


	5. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette learn more and more about each other question by question.

          Night fell. The stars came out of hiding and the waning moon shed its light on the ocean. Marinette bobbed silently underneath the wooden structure, waiting for Chat to appear.

          She had come back after she was certain she was fine. A long swim down the coastline was more than enough to calm herself. She had to wonder though, why she felt like she did. It was a feeling similar to the sensation of danger, but there was no danger she could tell of. Maybe it was just her nerves going haywire after having a secret meeting in the middle of the night with a human? And that she was actually excited to meet him again? She still couldn't believe that she was doing this. Humans were dangerous. She knew the price she would be paying for the risk of being with him. But she was doing it anyway.

          She thought with a wince that Alya was going to flay Marinette herself if she didn't check in with her soon to confirm that she was okay and not flayed already.

          She didn't have to think about that scenario too much. Chat's call interrupted her thoughts.

          With a smile she swam out into the open and met his gaze. He was back in the same spot from last night. "Hello again."

          "Hello yourself." They exchanged grins before he began to nervously play with his hands. "I was wondering, if you were comfortable with it, that I could come down on the dock while we talk? Of course if you don't want me too closeI'mtotallyfinewiththat-"

_Was that what this wooden thing is called? A dock?_ Marinette couldn't help but laugh at his nervousness. He was awkward, but charming and considerate. And incredibly polite and reassuring. He had asked for her consent before he came any closer. That was an attribute she had yet to clearly see in humans. Of course, she had very few examples to go on. "You may."

          Chat stared at her for a moment before a huge grin broke out across his face. "Great!" And suddenly he was gone. A loud thump followed only seconds after his disappearance. Many more thumps followed, each one quickly becoming louder and louder. He reappeared at the edge of the 'dock', breathing fast.

          She watched curiously as he lowered himself to sit on the edge of the dock, his limbs crossing over one another complicatedly. "I've been thinking of questions to ask you all day, I hope you don't mind." His green eyes were much brighter than before. Was it due to the proximity or was the moonlight brighter? Or, was it something else entirely?

          "Only if you don't mind that I also have quite a few questions for you."

          "I don't mind at all."

          "We'll ask one question, then answer another, and repeat." Chat nodded. "You can go first."

          Chat settled down, leaning to rest his head on his hands. "You said yesterday that you couldn't let me drown. Why?"

          Everyone seemed to be asking her that question lately. "Because if I let you drown then there was a chance your soul would become possessed and be turned into a monster, like that serpent. If I saved you it would prevent another monster from coming into existence. We think it's the same kind of possession that transformed us, but different in that the monsters come from souls parted from their body." Marinette shivered. To think that if she wasn't alive when she was transformed she too could have become a monster.

          Chat's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, you're saying that Akuma are possessed human souls?"

          "Not necessarily human. It just has to be a strong soul, or a soul feeling intense emotional distress the moment a creature dies." Marinette was surprised by his statement. _Did humans not know of the origins of the monsters -or whatever Chat called them (Akuma, was it?)- they fought?_

          "Oh. I didn't realize…" He trailed off. _Apparently they didn't._

          It was time for a change in subject. "My turn. What exactly do you humans do on that ship?" She nodded towards the subject of her question.

          "We're Hunters."

          "So, fishers?"

          He laughed. Despite his low voice his laugh was surprisingly light. "No, fishermen and Hunters are a little different. Fishermen catch fish, and Hunters, well, hunt Akuma and other dangerous creatures." She knew what he meant: dangerous creatures that are fully possessed and evil. That attack with little to no consciousness. But she could have a little fun with him.

          She channeled as much of Alya's playful façade as she could. She crossed her arms and aimed her best glare at him. "Dangerous creatures like me."

          Chat paled. His eyes widening in fear once he realized how his answer could be misunderstood in the worst way possible. "Not that I'm saying you're dangerous even though you said you were yesterday, but I swore that I wasn't going to hurt you. I'm saying 'dangerous' as in evil sea monsters, not that you're a monster or evil in any way. I meant…I'm really just digging my own grave here, aren't I? I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to never talk to me again." His face was in his hands. She should probably put his inner turmoil at ease after teasing him like that.

          She laughed. "I know what you meant, don't worry."

          His head slowly raised as wide green eyes met hers. "Wait, then-"

          "Sorry… I couldn't resist." She gave him a sly smile.

          He sighed and returned a smile of his own. "You were right."

          "I usually am."

          "You are very dangerous." Chat began to lean down towards her.

          "Very." She swam closer to the edge of the dock.

          "If all mermaids are as dangerous as you I'm gonna have to watch my back."

          "Then you don't have to worry. Much." His face was close enough that all she had to do was stretch out her hand and touch his skin and the strange dark covering he wore around his eyes. But she resisted the urge to do so.

          "Why is that?" His voice was much quieter now, his eyes unmoving from her own.

          "Because I'm one of the most dangerous ones out here." She reached out to grab the wood just above her head and pull herself ever closer. She was so close she could feel his breath on her skin. It was deep and even.

          "Really?" His voice was only a whisper now. "What's so dangerous about you, then?"

          She grinned lopsidedly. "This." She took a breath. With a powerful push of her tail,

          She sent water cascading all around them. A surprised shout came from Chat and he straightened up away from her sputtering. His long, light hair hung down over his eyes. He was thoroughly soaked. "I'm gonna say this again: you are very dangerous." Chat pushed his hair out of his eyes with one hand, smiling down at her despite her soaking him.

          "I know." Marinette smugly looked up at him as she slowly released the dock and sunk back into the water. "So, in forgiveness, you can ask me three questions."

          "I'll take that." He shook his head, dispelling water droplets and scattering them everywhere. After ruffling his hair with his hands to dry it he leaned back forward. "So, how do you breathe underwater? I don't see any gills on you."

          "We don’t."

          "You don't have gills?"

          "No, I mean, we don't breathe underwater. We can't."

          To say he looked perplexed was an understatement. "Then, how do you stay underwater for so long?"

          "We do it the same way whales do. We take a deep breath. We may look half fish, but we aren't. It's ironic, really. We can only survive in water, and yet we can still drown."

          He seemed thoughtful for a moment, clearly letting her response sink in.

          "Ok, second question. How old are you?"

          "Uhhm," Well that was a question she didn't know if she was prepared to answer. _How was I going to explain this?_ "Just over 300 years? I think?"

          Chat irrupted into violent coughing. "300. You 'think'?"

          "Yeah." She was considered young for a mermaid, but to humans, their lives were much shorter. 300 years would be lifetimes for them. She could understand his surprise.

          "Well… Looking good for 300." She laughed. There was another side of him slowly showing itself. His sense of humor.

          "So, my third question." He paused, his lower lip caught between his teeth. "Could I see- of course only if you're okay with it, could I see your tail?"

          That certainly wasn't a question she was expecting. She didn't blame him, though. She was just as curious about his own limbs, why wouldn't he be curious about hers?

          She held her hands out to him. "Help me up, then."

          "Yeah, okay." He didn't hesitate to take her hands. As they touched her skin sparked. The warmth of his hands shocked her. As he assisted her onto the dock, her tail furiously working against the water, she noted just how small her hands felt in his.

          With a final push she was on the dock, her chest and stomach pressed against the smooth, cool wood. She heard him breathe out a 'woah' as he sat back down beside her while she adjusted herself, swinging her tail over onto the dock completely and pushing herself up on her elbows.

          The weight of silence hung heavy on them as Chat stared at her, his eyes following the curve of her tail from where it began to where it ended. It was a little unnerving, no one has ever examined her this closely before, and it didn't help that it seemed like he couldn't look away. He began to reach towards her but stopped suddenly, his eyes flickering to hers questioningly. She knew what he was going to ask. She nodded before he had the chance to say anything. Besides, he had already used up his 3rd question.

          His fingertips tentatively touched her. Marinette tensed as the electricity between them flared once again. His fingers ran over the smooth scales of her tail, running along the misshaped border of red and black coloring down to her tailfin. His touch was light, ghosting over her more gently than she thought someone was capable of. He touched her like she would break from just the slightest pressure. Like she was some delicate thing rather than the dangerous creature she was. As his fingers went further down they left a trail of heat in their wake.

          She watched with baited breath as he reached the junction between her tail and her tailfins. He stopped there, his gaze quickly flicking between her eyes and her fin.

          After another second his hand retreated. His fingers lingering just a moment longer before they left her completely. She shivered, a cold feeling set in where his fingers once were.

          The silence stretched on as he followed the contours of her tail with his eyes. She didn't know if she should break the spell he seemed under. She didn't know if she even wanted to.

          Finally, after what felt like a century under his gaze did he make a sound. "I believe it's your turn now." He turned to meet her gaze, but the mischief in his smile caught her off guard. "What _whale_ you ask me?"

_Was that a…? Did he just…?_ Well, _two_ people can play this game. "That was _dolphinately_ the worst pun I've heard in a long time."

          "What can I say?" He shrugged, "I was just _testing the waters._ "

          "Well, if you come up with a better pun anytime soon, let _minnow_."

          "Rude. And here I thought we were getting along swimmingly."

          She had to stifle laughter at his comeback, but she couldn't stop her lips from stretching into a smile. She had to admit, that was a pretty good one, but she wasn't going to admit that to him. "Ok, enough with the terrible puns. I believe it was my turn."

          "Alright." His hands went up defensively. "Fire away."

          "I wanted to ask what-" Her tongue froze on the roof of her mouth. For a split second she felt something she'd hadn't felt in almost 200 years: the pressing weight of a magical presence so much stronger than any other magical creature she'd met before. The air felt stifled, she couldn't breathe.

          As soon as the presence appeared it was gone. She barely registered the concerned question Chat asked her as she looked around, trying to find the source of the powerful magic. Movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to it, her blood turned to ice in her veins.

          There, on the edge of the ship, looking down at them. Wide, glowing green eyes were watching her carefully.

* * *

 

          Her voice trailed off as she stared at some point behind him. By the way she was looking he thought that maybe there was an Akuma behind him. Wide-eyed himself, his heart stuttering into a panic he slowly turned, following her line of sight.

          When he finally saw what it was she was looking at he couldn't help but laugh. Plagg was sitting on the railing, tail curled around his paws while his eyes were blown wide. Adrien clicked his tongue and called out to him, the small cat slowly bunched his body before leaping down. The cat padded quietly to the two at the end of the dock, stopping just within arm's reach of them both.

          Meanwhile, the mermaid had watched Plagg the whole time, her eyes never straying from the small cat. Adrien noticed this. "He won't hurt you, it's okay." He reassured her, reaching out to stroke the black cat's head as emphasis. "His name is Plagg."

          Her wide blue eyes traveled between his own and Plagg. "Why that name?"

          Honestly, that was the same question he asked himself when he named him. No one on board wanted to name the cat that clawed and hissed at them whenever they came close. So Ivan took it upon himself to ask Adrien what he was going to call the small black cat that had found its way on board. The name came off his tongue before he could actually think about what to call him. He didn't even know he said it either until Ivan repeated it questioningly. He went along with it. After all, looking at the cat he couldn't help but notice that the cat did look like a 'Plagg'. "Don't you think the name suits him?"

          Plagg mewed, blinking slowly before his thin pupils turned to the mermaid. "It does." She was acting strange, maybe she's never seen a cat before?

          "Do you know what he is?" She finally looked away from Plagg and back at him.

          "No, but he looks similar to the object you dropped that night." She dropped off her elbows, laying her head in her hands on the dock instead.

_She remembered what his carving looked like?_ "Yeah, because Plagg and that carving are both cats."

          "Cats." She repeated him. He watched her as she spoke. It looked like she was tasting something for the first time. She repeated the word again soundlessly.

          "Exactly." He reached over to scratch Plagg's ear before he recalled she was cut off in the middle of her question just moments before. "Oh, so what were you going to ask?"

          "Hmm? Oh," She sat up again, but instead of going back onto her elbows she pushed herself up all the way, her tail coming around to fold in front of her as she turned herself towards him completely. "I wanted to ask what those are called." She pointed at his legs but Adrien was more interested in _her_ at the current moment. This was the first time he has seen her completely, but his moment of awe was cut short as he processed just what exactly he was looking at.

_She wasn't wearing_ ** _anything_** _._ He could feel the heat crawl up his neck as he quickly looked away, eyes bulging. He swore he didn't mean to look. She just turned to him baring _everything_. _How was he supposed to know she wasn't wearing anything?_ He hadn't seen her chest until now, and he dared not look again.

          "Chat, I believe it's your turn to answer." Her question was like a cattle prod to his nerves. He jumped, but he didn't turn to look at her.

          She made an irritated noise. "What are you staring at?" He could hear her inch closer. The tension in his muscles increased with each sound of scales sliding against the wood.

          "Y-you aren't wearing anything." He finally managed to stammer out.

          "What do you mean?"

          "I thought mermaids wore like, magical seashell bras, or something." There was no hiding the blush from her now. His cheeks felt like they were on fire.

          "What's a bra?" _No, please don't make me explain that._

          "It's like a, you know," He drew what he thought was a bra on his chest with his fingers. He hoped she understood. He prayed that she understood what he meant.

          "I really don't." _Please, no._

          "Ok, umm, it's fabric that covers your," He cupped his hands and gestured helplessly before he took a breath and accepted what he had to say. "Breasts."

          "Is it bad not to have one then? For humans?" Her head tilted. "Do you have one?"

          "No! No, no. Only women wear them. And it's not bad, it's just… customary." He took a deep breath before he slowly started to turn to her. He refused to look anywhere but her bright, curious eyes. "It's considered inappropriate if women show their chests in public."

          "But I've seen humans show their chests all the time on the ships."

          "It's different for men."

          She huffed, her eyebrows furrowing. "So, females can't show their skin and have to wear coverings, and yet males can bare their skin and don't wear the coverings. You humans have a strange sense of propriety. Us mermaids aren't nearly that fickle."

          "What are correct manners, then, in mermaid society?"

          "Ah, ah, ah." She sat back, pointing her finger towards his legs again. "You still have a question to answer."

          "Oh, right." He looked down to where she was pointing, but the question she had asked escaped him. "What was the question?"

          "What are those called?"

          "Are you referring to my trousers or my legs?"

          "Yes?"

          Adrien couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Trousers are what I wear over my legs. My legs are attached to me."

          She tentatively reached out and touched the fabric, her mouth moving silently to copy his words. He allowed her to examine the fabric for a few moments before he spoke. "My turn. So, how come you know what a ship is but don't know what legs or trousers are?"

          She retracted her hand as she looked back up at him. "After 300 years of listening in on humans passing by on ships you start to pick up on a few things. I know what a ship and a railing are, and I'm pretty sure I know what a deck is. Humans call out certain terms a lot, and I've always been a fast learner. But I've never heard humans address 'legs' or 'trousers'. It's not like 'hey, fellow sailor, look at your legs, the things you move on' is a common phrase."

          He mulled that one over. Had he ever said 'legs' at all while sailing? Had he heard anyone else say it? "You have heard the term 'sea legs' before, right?"

          "Yeah. Whenever the word is mentioned it's usually talking about humans going on and off a boat. I always figured it was the change of a water environment to land."

          Well, she certainly wasn't wrong. "That's just about right, yeah."

          "Ok, my turn. What is this?" She stretched out her hand, her fingertips running down his chest, feeling the smooth leather of his jacket.

          "That's a jacket." Adrien reached to the zipper at his throat and pulled it down smoothly, opening up the jacket to reveal the shirt underneath. "And this is a shirt."

          She ran her fingers now over the shirt before taking a bit between her fingers. "How can you keep this against your skin? Isn't it irritating?"

          "Not really." He stiffened as her fingers began to run north, stopping at his collar. "I don't notice it, really." But he definitely noticed her roaming hands. Her fingers danced across the collar of his shirt before following the seam on his shoulder, her hand pushing the jacket out of the way to make room for her exploration. Her other hand lay on his stomach, his jacket trapped under it. It was a struggle to keep breathing evenly, but he refused to fall to the level of a horny drunkard while this beautiful, albeit very naked, girl was rubbing her hands all over him. She probably had no idea what she was doing to him. She was curious, and her examination was completely intellectual and innocent on her part.

          He was surprised, though. He had no idea that her touch, as innocent as it was, could leave him struggling for composure like this. His blush from earlier came back in full force, there was no denying that.

          "They feel so different." She emphasized the objects of her comment by grabbing and raising the ends of them closer to her eyes.

          He had to take a moment to mentally gather himself before he could answer. "The shirt is linen, the jacket is leather. Leather is often smooth, linen can be rough or soft. I prefer cotton myself, it's generally really soft."

          She made a soft noise of confirmation, dropping her hands and smoothing out the fabrics against him.

          Instead of pulling back however, a hand went up to his face. Her fingers resting delicately against his mask. "This is leather too? It has the same feeling."

          "Yes."

          Her fingers ran over the fabric. Her face was less than a foot away from his. Her eyes were wide and curious, and impossibly blue. He closed his eyes. That was a bad idea. He could feel her wandering fingers all the more intensely now that his sight was gone.

          She traced his mask, her surprisingly warm fingers dragging against his skin. A shiver went up his spine. They traveled around the edge by his temple and down. Her wandering left a chilled trail across the heated flesh of his cheek.

          Her fingers left his skin. He relaxed the muscles he hadn't known that had tensed and was ready to open his eyes when her thumb touched his eyelid. She traced the mask around his eye. Even though she was just touching the skin of his eyelid, a completely innocent part of him, it felt completely forbidden.

          After what seemed like an eternity did she finally pull away for good. He was relieved, but at the same time he never wanted her to stop. He opened his eyes to see her staring at him.

          "I guess it's your turn to ask a question?"

          He took a deep breath to calm his electrified nerves. "Yep." He was running low on questions, but he didn't want to stop talking to her. "Can you sing?"

          He could hear her inhale. "Well, yes and no. Yes, I can sing. No, I'm not good at it. Mermaids don't have quite as entrancing songs that sirens have."

          "Mermaids and sirens aren't the same thing?"

          "No. Mermaids are cursed. Sirens are born as monsters."

          "I didn't realize…"

          "No, it's okay. Humans can't really tell." She wrapped her arms around and rested her head on her tail. "Sirens and mermaids look alike in some ways, but magical creatures like ourselves can see through their façade. Humans can't really see through the spell, or magic or glamour or whatever you like to call it. You're not the most magic-sensitive beings to put it lightly, but you can still fall under the powerful spell of siren songs."

          "So can your songs put a spell on people? Err, humans?"

          "Sort of. It's not nearly powerful enough  to cause humans to fall so easily. But it doesn't mean that humans aren't drawn to us. It can be dangerous for them, so we tend not to sing when we know humans are near. We understand why humans mistake us for sirens, so we tend not to get too close to humans if we can help it." Huh. The more he knew.

          She had just said that it was dangerous for humans to hear their songs, but that didn't stop his curiosity. He was more like his namesake than he wanted to admit, and doesn't everyone know what curiosity does to cats? "Can you sing something for me?"

          She looked at him like he had grown another eye on his forehead. "I mean, if you want to that is." His hands began to gesture about on their own accord. "If you do it doesn't have to be long, I swear I won't judge or anything. I can sing something myself if you want me to, I can't guarantee I'm any good though…"

          "Okay."

          He must have looked ridiculous with the grin that stretched across his face. She didn't give any warning for him to prepare himself before she began to sing.

          " _Hidden away from the outside, hidden away from the Earth._ " Her voice was sweet and clear. It lulled him into a calm.

          " _There's a whole new world up there, I wanna see the view_." He's always been a fan of music. He learned to play the piano when he was younger, he always appreciated the lulling sound of piano music filling his house. The music made home feel less empty and warm. He felt the same feeling of warmth and homeliness listening to the mermaid sing.

          " _Maybe there's a chance that I'll get to see something new._ " Her melodious voice faded like light at dusk until only night surrounded them once again.

          "Wow," Adrien breathed out. "I can see why it's dangerous." The description of falling for a siren's song wasn't how he would describe this feeling. He was entranced, yes, but it was a warm, familiar feeling and left him aching for more. He could say for certain that satisfaction brought him back.

          "Exactly." She looked out at the dark horizon. She seemed to ponder something, but her expression was blank. He looked out at the horizon with her. He could only wonder what she saw out there.

          "I have to go. I've been away from the others for long enough. They're probably getting worried."

          Adrien turned to look at her. She didn't look at him. "How many others are there?"

          "Four, usually. Now we're up to seven."

          They went into silence again, but Adrien didn't look away from her. If she was leaving, he wanted to keep this image of her in his mind.

          She began to move, uncurling herself and sliding towards the edge of the dock. "Wait," His arm jolted forward, his hand wrapping around her arm. She looked at him startled. He couldn't help but notice and appreciate the smooth muscle in her arm flex and move under his hand. "Will I see you again?"

          Her gaze softened. "I'm sure of it. I don't know when myself, but we seem to keep swimming into each other anyway. Who knows when fate will decide when we meet again."

          She slipped slowly through his fingers as she pushed and fell into the water with a splash. She looked back at him with those wide, bright eyes that have been haunting him since the day she saved him. She bowed her head to him. _A farewell_? Her eyes flickered over to Plagg, who was now standing beside the edge watching her with his own wide eyes. She repeated her bow.

          She turned away, ready to disappear into the dark water. _He was forgetting something…_

          "Wait!" He called out again. The mermaid stopped, looking over her shoulder at him again. "I don't know your name. What do I call you?"

          A gentle smile. He swore his heart fluttered. Her lips parted. "Marinette."

          With that she disappeared into the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to personally thank maekankouya.tumblr.com for allowing me to use the lyrics to her original song! Her full song (if she decides to complete it) will come up in later updates for sure~


	6. Explain To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino and Alya have to explain a few things. Characters I didn't think would be in this are now in this because sometimes fics write themselves (and it's a pain in the butt as a writer because 'wait no stop I didn't want this why are they here I never intended this to happen' is a thing).

          _Oh? What was this?_ He felt strange, like someone had mentioned his name behind his back. Except he knew when people talked about him. His power and position certainly helped him with that.

          He had to ponder the feeling that suddenly overcame him before he could put a name to it: weakening.

          His body felt heavy and his mind was clouded. It was the effect of magic, that he was sure of. Something powerful was stirring. Something more powerful than even him.

          He had to get to the bottom of the source, and quickly. He snapped his fingers. Moments later the sound of claws on polished stone floor grew ever louder as the summoned creature approached hurriedly. Olive green eyes appeared in the shadows beside him. He didn't bother to turn and look, instead keeping his eyes focused out the large window and over the lights of the city below. "Something has finally woken. The plans have changed. You may need to be of service to me longer than expected."

          Fur ruffled, his servant nodded before leaving his presence swiftly. There was nothing he could do for the moment, but information would come along soon enough. He was always a patient man. Months, even years passed before his services were requested and another soul would be at his reserve. He waited for the chance to be in a position of power to arrive. It came soon enough. With patience comes reward, it was only a matter of time. After living for 658 years, one learned that time was a fast working mistress, and all it took was just a little bit of patience to sate his desire until what he wanted came to him.

          It always did.

 

* * *

 

          The _Miraculous_ began casting off the moment they got their hands on the new main, wasting no time putting it onto its boom and gaff and setting off towards the open ocean. Leaving behind the ominous, looming cliffs and the town nestled in its shadow Adrien kept his eyes on the water. Hoping that maybe Marinette was there, but was ultimately disappointed when there was no sign of dark hair and sky blue eyes in the light of day. If he hadn't seen her last night, hadn't touched her to confirm that she was truly there, he would have thought she was a dream. It was so surreal. A fairytale he never would have thought to actually be true. He was a knight to her, and according to the laws of fairytales, this meant that she was his princess. Sure, becoming her knight in shining armor was the equivalent of signing a waiver for the security of his wellbeing, but _oh_ , it was worth it.

          "I'm glad to be getting out to sea again. I almost started missing living on land." Nino came up behind Adrien, hands laced behind his head.

          "Hey, Nino?" The addressed hummed questioningly. "Have you ever met a mermaid before?"

          Adrien could see Nino tense at the question. His posture became more rigid and his eyes widened behind his glasses. He was silent and remained so for a few more moments until his arms came down from his shoulders and rested on the railing. "Have I ever told you why I became a Hunter in the first place?"

          "No?"

          "Well, Hunting has its benefits. One of those being traveling all over the coast line. I have the highest chance of finding someone." Nino looked out towards the far shore.

          "You've been Hunting for how many years all for the purpose of finding someone? What, did he owe you money or something?"

          Nino laughed, "No. If only it was that easy to explain." Nino turned his head towards the open ocean to their bow. "You asked if I've ever met a mermaid. In fact, I have." Nino turned his gaze to Adrien, who only stared back at him stunned, his mouth hanging open. "It's not that big a deal. Close your mouth, you'll catch flies."

          "And I'm only hearing of this now?"

          "You never asked before." He had a point there. "And don't go around telling the rest of the crew, okay? They don't know and I'd like to keep it that way."

          Adrien could understand that. "So how'd you meet her?"

          Nino sighed. Adrien could tell that it would be a long story. "It was a long time ago. I was a kid, and I went out to play on the shoreline. I had promised my mom that I wouldn't go far, but let's be honest, when has a 10 year old ever obeyed anything?" He paused, looking back at the shore they were getting further and further from with every passing minute. "I walked towards a rocky cove far down the shore. I'd been there a several times before. I liked pushing rocks around and building tiny huts." His said this with a reminiscing smile. "That day, I went out there with the intention to begin where I left off. Pretending to live in the rock huts and tormenting the wildlife in the tide pools. I never really thought of the possibility that someone else would live in the rock huts I made.

          "She was hurt. I don't know what happened, but she was covered in cuts. Seaweed covered most of the injuries, like she was trying to patch them up, but she couldn't move.

          "She was also scared. As a kid I heard about all the stories of mermaids and how they were incredibly dangerous, but I just couldn't see it. She was scared of me, like I was the dangerous one. You should have seen how she looked at me when I discovered her.

          "I didn't get close to her, though. She was like a small frightened animal, and I didn't want to scare her away. Instead I just sat down and watched her. We watched each other for a while until I started talking. I told her my name and asked for hers. She didn't answer. I asked her other questions, but she didn't respond to those either. Once I realized she didn't want to talk I just started going on and on about things. I just wanted to watch her more, I guess. Maybe I thought I could befriend her if I hadn't annoyed her to death already. Anyway, I talked and talked and she remained quiet, but surprisingly she was listening to me. She watched and nodded her head sometimes. Before I knew it I had to go but I promised I would be back the next day.

          "She was still there. I left early the next day and she was still there. She let me come close and replace the seaweed with the bandages and ointment I brought, but she still didn't say anything. Again, I started talking and talking and she listened. Again, I stayed with her until I had to leave. The next day went the same way.

          "She was gone the fourth day." Nino sighed, turning to Adrien with a sad look before turning to look out back at the ocean in front of them. "I climbed all over the cove hoping to find her, but she wasn't there. I stepped wrong on a rock, the seaweed covering it was wet and I couldn't get a good hold on it.

          "I slipped and fell into the water. The good thing was that I hadn't hit my head on any of the rocks when I fell. The bad thing was that I was caught in the riptide in the cove. I was dragged under and pulled out to sea.

          "I shouldn't have survived. I didn't know how to swim.

          "I woke up on the beach away from the cove. I knew I shouldn't have survived let alone wind up safe on shore. I knew I had been saved." Nino traced something with his finger on the railing. "Maybe she took pity on me? Maybe she wanted to repay me for helping her? I don't know, but I intend to find her and thank her for saving my life, even if she doesn't remember me."

          There was nothing Adrien could say to that story. This was a whole other side of Nino he had never seen before. Adrien spoke after a few moments of letting Nino stare off. "What did she look like?"

          His friend grasped the railing and leaned back, staring at the sky. "She was," Adrien could tell he was trying to grasp for the right words. "beautiful and otherworldly, to put it lightly. Auburn hair that glowed like fire. Tanned, perfect skin. Like toasted sugar. Her tail was dark orange, almost brown." Nino sighed. _So it wasn't Marinette, then_. Adrien relaxed, but wondered exactly when his muscles had become so tense. "I would do anything to see her again. Which is why I did my research on mermaids and became a Hunter."

          "Research? What kind?"

          "I don't know if you know this, but there's such a thing as a place where scholarly texts and compiled information is kept. It's called a library."

          "Ok, you went to the library and read. Got it."

          "Surprisingly, if you know where to look, there's a decent amount of information about mermaids. But no one has ever put in the effort to look into them, so they all believe the sailor's tales about them." Nino turned his back to the sea and hoisted himself onto the railing. Adrien joined him asking, "And what exactly did you find out?"

          "Well, for starters, did you know that mermaids and sirens are different?"

          _Actually I did. See, I've been sneaking off at night to talk to a mermaid and she told me that exact thing_. "No, I didn't."

          "Yeah. Mermaids are mammals, and sirens are fish. They're also freaky looking when you're not under their spell. Sirens are, not mermaids. Apparently their spell hides their true forms from the people they're putting the spell on. But mermaids are just naturally beautiful beings. I'm totally not biased or anything."

          "Totally not." Adrien nodded his head as solemnly as possible despite his voice dripping with sarcasm. Although he had to agree with Nino to that point. Mermaids were completely ethereal beings all by themselves.

          "There are also mermen. Like, guy mermaids."

          "There are?" That he didn't know.

          "Yeah. There aren't many of them though. Also, apparently, mermaids can't cry." _They can't?_ "They can't dream either. They also don't need to eat, and their tails are all completely unique."

          "I never would have thought," It was Adrien's turn to stare off into space. He would have to ask Marinette and confirm this. At least he had a primary source for any mermaid-knowledge.

          "Yeah, and they're practically immortal. This one mermaid that was studied was said to be over 300 years old."

          "Where exactly did you read this anyway? Are you sure that it's a factual source?"

          "Well, it was transcribed into another book from this journal. The original author was like this Charles Darwin character. He did a lot of research on mermaids."

          "I have a question: was he Charles Darwin?"

          "Ha! No. His name was Felix, I think. Felix A-something. I know it started with an A…" _Huh, that was funny. I have a great grandfather named Felix-_

          "Agreste, I think it was. I would know for sure if I saw it. Are you okay, Chat?" Adrien was, in fact, not okay. He was red-faced and coughing violently as he had just inhaled his own saliva at the apparent sound of his last name.

          "Fine, just-" _cough_ "Swallowed wrong." _cough_ "What was his name?"

          "Felix Agreste." So he hadn't hallucinated after all. He really did hear his last name. "Yeah, he wrote a lot about mermaids and other creatures like silkies and fae."

          "Did he?" Adrien had no idea. His father never talked much about their family's history, but on the family tree logged in one of his father's books he recalled the name Felix Agreste.

          "Yeah. Look him up when you get a chance, his writings are really interesting. He got really close to this one mermaid, but it doesn't say what her name was. He wrote that mermaids only gave their names to people they truly trusted, and that he refused to write her name out of respect." Nino glanced at Adrien over the rim of his glasses. "So why did you ask if I've ever met a mermaid?"

          _Think fast, Agreste_. "You mentioned them the other day, I've been wondering how you knew." Adrien hoped Nino couldn't see the lie in his eyes. Nino seemed to buy it. He nodded.

          "Curiosity killed the cat, apparently. Or, at least had a question sitting in his mind long enough to drive him crazy."

          "Ouch. Do I really look crazy to you?"

          "It's the mask." Nino pointed to his own face to emphasize the object of his comment.

          "But I've worn this ever since I came aboard."

          "Exactly."

          "Rude."

          "You're welcome." That smug asshole. _I guess this is why we're friends._

          "At least the satisfaction of you answering the question brought me back."

          "Enough for you to remove the mask?"

          "Sorry Nino, no dice. The mask must stay on." Adrien shrugged, hopping down from his position on the railing.

          "Damn. Here I thought I would finally be able to see what you actually look like behind the mask that makes you appear mysterious and yet strangely attractive."

          Adrien laughed, running a hand through his hair in a show to straighten out the wind tussled strands rather than a nervous habit. "Your honesty is frightening me. Are you sure you aren't enamored by me?"

          "If I hadn't already fallen for a mermaid you know I would fall for you."

          Adrien took a moment to let what his friend said sink in. It wasn't for a few moments that the meaning behind his words clicked. "Are you… In love with her?"

          Nino took a breath, "I guess you could say that." He gave Adrien a lopsided smile before he too pushed himself off the railing. "Yeah. I guess I do love her. It sounds stupid, I know. Three days of knowing her and she never even said a word to me." He shrugged, hands going to his shirt hem to smooth out the fabric absent mindedly. "Love is weird like that I guess. You never really know when it'll hit you, but when it does it's like getting hit by a car."

          "That doesn't sound pleasant."

          "It's not." Nino clapped a hand on Adrien's shoulder, patting it a few times before pulling away. "It can hurt. Heartache hurts, but at least you know what, or who, you desire. You know then that you would do anything for them. Protect them and always want to be with them, no matter what."

          Adrien had always heard about what love feels like. A flutter in your stomach, heart racing in your chest. Happiness and joy. Comfort. An insatiable desire. But he had never been told that love hurt.

          He guessed that it was only natural that love hurt. When someone leaves. Separation and distance.

          Death.

          He knew the feeling of familial love and the heartache he went through as a child, fully understanding exactly what had happened to his mother. He felt like a part of him died along with her that day. A part of him still felt dead even after all this time. He could only imagine and guess what the feeling would be like for someone who wasn't family. Someone who you loved and wasn't related to you by blood. Someone who you loved unconditionally rather than by obligation.

          But, maybe he wasn't so alienated from the feeling after all.

 

* * *

         

          Marinette arrived at the shoals by sunrise, the early light just gracing the sea with a yellow glow at her arrival. The others were still asleep. Aurore and Alix were together as usual, Rose and Mireille were huddled closer to the water, and Nathanael… Nathanael was nowhere to be seen. They looked so comfortable sleeping there. She didn't want to wake them. Instead of getting too close to them she skirted around them to a more unoccupied area of shore. That was a mistake. She knew she should have thought something was up the moment she didn't see Alya.

          An annoyed click from the darkness below startled Marinette, which caused her to release her breath in surprise and forced her to swim to the surface. Alya followed shortly, coming out of the water slowly with a glare. Marinette was right: Alya was going to flay her alive.

          "Why didn't you check in sooner?" Alya's voice was most definitely irritated. Maybe she should have come back earlier… "I was worried sick!"

          "Well, you can see that I'm fine, I haven't been flayed by humans. Can I explain later and sleep now?" Marinette began to swim around Alya, but an arm around her waist pulled her back to her place between Alya and the sleep she needed.

          "Nuh uh, we are not done here. You're going to explain to me what happened before you go sleep." Alya crossed her arms. Clearly there was no getting out of this one. Marinette took a breath, preparing herself for an explanation and the questions to come.

          "Okay, okay. You know that one blond that we keep seeing? Well, I saw him again. Twice. Both nights I was gone." Alya watched her keenly, nodding slowly, her expression unreadable. "The first night I was exploring around and he came out. No one else was there, just him. Anyway, Chat came out and he started talking. He knew I was out there, I don't really know how, but he knew. I didn't talk to him, but I answered by hitting the ship. He talked to me like that until he swore not to harm me. I figured it was okay if I addressed him in person after that, since he promised not to attack me." Alya quickly opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Marinette knew she wanted to say something, but must have had just enough restraint to hear her out. "So, staying close to the dock," Alya's eyebrows furrowed. "Just in case I felt unsafe at any point, I revealed myself to him. We had a civil conversation: we asked questions and got answers, and then he had to leave." Marinette stopped, glancing over at Alya and waited for her to say something. Anything.

          "Okay, I have so many questions right now, but you're still missing a night. Let's hear it."

          _How to explain this one…_ "Well, he asked me if I would meet him again, and I agreed. I know, I should have come back to check in but he was nice and respectful, and different for a human. I wanted to meet him again. So I stayed and visited him the second night. Again, he was the only one, and he was more than gentle and considerate. He waited for my permission before he came closer."

          "How close did he get?"

          Marinette clasped her hands together behind her back, turning her gaze away from her friend. "Close." Alya's gaze slowly turned into a glare. "Close enough… to touch. But-!" Alya's mouth snapped closed, her teeth clacking together. "He was just curious. He was still nothing but gentle and kind. He always made sure I was okay and comfortable before he did anything."

          "Do I even want to know what he did?"

          "Oh Poseidon, Alya, no. He wanted to touch my tail. Don’t even think that." Marinette splashed water at her friend before continuing. "Anyway, we just talked some more. We took turns asking questions and answering, and then I figured it was about time to leave." With a shrug she finished her story. Alya was quiet another moment longer before she crossed her arms.

          "Okay, he does sound like a surprisingly gentle human I'll give him that, but I still don't trust him."

          "You don't know Chat like I do, Alya. He swore he would protect me, I trust him. He's my knight."

          "First of all, what the flip is a knight? Secondly, how can you trust the others he's with? I've been alive 600 years and I have yet to see any reason to trust a human!" Alya's voice began to raise in an irritated plea.

          "That's cause you've never met a human!" Marinette snapped back.

          "Yes I have!" Marinette flinched at Alya's shout. She'd never really heard her friend yell at her like that. It was a new and frightening thing. Alya must have realized what she did because her expression quickly morphed from one of anger to one of fear. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled." She reached her arms out to Marinette and pulled her into a hug. Who she was trying to console, Marinette didn't know. "I'll explain later, after you sleep. You probably need it after swimming all that way." She pulled away, allowing Marinette to swim past her without another word. She wasted no time in swimming towards her private cave, swimming the tunnel by muscle memory before reaching the end.

          Hauling herself up onto the cool rock in the dim light she curled up on her side and willed for sleep to take her.

          When she woke up, she was bathed in warmth. The sun had risen high enough to pour down through the hole above her and fill the air with a comfortable heat. Stretching languidly and humming in contentment Marinette turned onto her back to soak up the sun on her skin, only to be startled by another presence.

          She turned her head, meeting Alya's familiar figure perched on the edge of the rock.

          "I've met a human before. It was seasons ago, but recent. Remember when I left to go talk to the selkie group just up north? On the way back I got caught in a net humans lost to the sea. In my attempts to get out of it, I was caught in a riptide and was bashed against a rocky shore. I was injured enough that I couldn't swim any further. I had to pull myself up onto shore in order to get out of the net and heal.

          "It was nerve wracking, being on a foreign shore. I had no idea if I would be attacked by humans or other creatures. I was so scared. I woke up the next day relieved I survived the night, but that feeling was soon gone. A human child had found me.

          "I couldn't move. I didn't know what I would do if he had run off to alert other humans. I didn't know if I had the strength to make it past the riptide just off shore. But the human child didn't leave. He stayed with me and watched from a distance. He seemed to take pity on me. He started talking, asking questions, but I didn't answer. That didn't stop him though. He just kept talking. It was funny, really. If another human had walked by without noticing me it would have seemed like the child was talking to himself.

          "He left, promising to come back the next day. And he did. He came back with proper wrappings to help my injuries. I let him come close to put them on. He was so gentle, I figured it was just child naivety that drove him to be so close to me. The next day he came again to check on me. But the next morning I figured I had outstayed my welcome. I didn't want to risk any more humans finding me. I left before the child came back, but I swam around just to see if he did show up.

          "Without fail, he did. He seemed distressed once he noticed I was gone. He started searching for me. That's when he slipped and fell. He landed in the water hard, and a child of that size got caught in the riptide as easily as I did when I was caught in the net. I had to do something. This human child had been so gentle and kind to me, and I couldn't let him die after such a selfless action. I swam into the riptide and brought him back out. Following the direction he came from I found a softer, sandy section of shore and I left him there, safe from the tide.

          "I gave him my name, but I doubt he heard me. He was still unconscious. I doubt he will still remember me after such a long time for him, but for me, 10 years is but a moment. I still remember him like it was only minutes ago."

          Alya finally turned to look at Marinette, who was staring at her with a wide gaze. Surprise, confusion, and knowing all present in her sky blue eyes. "I guess there are a lot of similarities in my story as there are in the one currently unfolding for you. Human children are far more different than human adults. But because this human is so alike the human child I knew, I'm going to trust you with him, but that doesn't mean I trust whoever it is he's with. If you decide to see him again, make sure you're alone and safe. I don't want my family hurt." Alya offered a sheepish smile which was quickly erased as she was pulled into an embrace.

          "Thank you for telling me, and thank you for understanding." The dark-haired mermaid's voice was but a broken whisper in Alya's ear.

          Alya quickly returned the embrace, burying her face into her friend's hair. "Of course."

 

* * *

         

          Who knew that three days after they set sail they would have encountered two Akuma? With the free time he had between attacks, Adrien found his mind wandering far too much to be considered normal; his thoughts constantly drawn to a specific raven-haired, black-and-red tailed mermaid. Maybe the Akuma attacks were a good thing: it kept him from daydreaming about magic creatures and secret midnight meetings all day and during his late night watch hours.

          They had headed south to finish the check at the edge of their respective patrolling zone when, on the second day at sea, they were attacked. The first Akuma, a squid, was easy prey. It attacked the ship with a strange, intoxicating scent. They were clued in after two of the crew became entranced after breathing in a strange fog. The affected crewmen were restrained from the sudden urge to jump into the sea. With cloths over their mouths and noses, taking down that Akuma was an easy feat. The afflicted crew were released from their trance shortly after the Akuma's form bubbled away. The second Akuma wasn't as easy to take down for them.

          The second Akuma was much more troublesome. It started out as a fine third day at sea: with the occasional cloud sheltering them from the heat of the spring sun. The breeze was cool and their sails were full. Adrien thought that their day couldn't be any more relaxing, and Nino believed so as well: the headphones he usually had stored by his bunk to keep them safe and dry were now on.

          How wrong they were to think that their day could go by without a hitch.

          A thump was the only thing that prepared them for what came next.

          A mass hauled itself over the side of the ship. Surprisingly humanoid in form. A decorative frill surrounded its head and a large, flat tail trailed behind it. It had an uncanny resemblance to a salamander, if salamanders stood on two legs, had a huge, bulky body and a third eye in the center of its forehead.

          Everyone on deck froze in surprise as the creature slowly looked around, its three eyes looking over the ship and sporting a dangerous toothy smile. It hadn't made a move yet, and none of the crew present moved either. Adrien wondered if they were thinking the same thing as him: that the Akuma's sight was based on movement. If they didn't move, it wouldn't see them. Hopefully.

          The strange moment of silence by both sides was interrupted by someone coming up from below deck. All heads turned to see Jean walk up the stairs, eyes down while reading the papers in his hands, oblivious to the tense scene. "Hey guys, I was just going through the report, what would you…" His voice died as he looked up, meeting eyes with the Akuma now aboard the ship. "Holy-"

          He didn't have the chance to finish whatever it was he was saying because the Akuma had rushed him, hitting him and sending him sliding across the deck, but Adrien could guess what he was going to say. He agreed whole heartedly: _holy shit._

          The moment the Akuma decided to move was when the invisible ice that froze everyone to the deck broke. With shouts of alarm they rushed for their weapons, stashed in either their claimed niches or in the storage at the quarterdeck. Adrien dove for his. His personal harpoon was tucked away underneath the belaying pins on the opposite side of the deck. With sudden Akuma appearances, it was best to have a weapon already out and handy where he usually was. This was no exception.

          His hands wrapped around the cold metal shaft. The weight was comforting in his hands as he pulled it out from its resting place and in front of him. He faced the Akuma again. The Akuma was focused on Nino, who held his harpoon gun out in front of him defensively as jagged teeth and webbed, clawed forefeet latched onto the weapon in his hands. The drawbacks of having a mostly harpoon-gun armed crew was the time it took to actually arm themselves. Adrien had the luxury of not having to prepare anything. Adrien had joked with Nino that he was always ready for an ass kicking. He had no need to get ready. But whether it was his ass or an Akuma's ass that was kicked depended on if he had his harpoon in his hands.

          And Adrien had his harpoon in his hands.

          He rushed forward to help with a shout, harpoon aimed as he ran. The Akuma's third eye glanced over to him at his approach before the creature jumped away from Nino. In its moment of hesitation of watching Adrien run towards it, it failed to notice the gun pointed right at it. A few things happened so quickly Adrien barely had time to dodge an attack as he tried to take it all in. A harpoon gun, aimed by none other than Kim, was fired from the quarterdeck. A short harpoon embedded itself in the Akuma's back just as the Akuma had reared back its head and spit a goo-like substance towards Adrien. Adrien fell backwards as he dodged the liquid soaring over his head. He turned his head up against the deck to watch as the goo hit the deck and spread slowly, like molasses. _If this stuff doesn't disappear with the Akuma, we'll have a hell of a time cleaning today._

          Adrien pushed himself up as he turned his gaze back to the flailing Akuma. Its grasping hands failed to reach the harpoon embedded in its back. It took to writhing around as an alternative to dislodge the weapon, slowly stumbling its way backwards towards the railing.

          And a staggering Jean.

          Jean, who clutched the railing and his chest as the wind had been knocked clear out of him, was unknowingly in the path of the Akuma. Adrien began running. He knew to what end this would lead.

          A huge, lashing tail and massive body was pushed into Jean, sending only the latter falling over the low railing.

          The Akuma was still distracted by the weapon stuck in its back. With a toss of his hand Adrien let his harpoon fly blindly in the general direction of the Akuma as he took a flying leap over the edge of the ship.

          As he went over, he noticed that Jean was nowhere to be seen. Only a white ripple on dark blue showed where he had landed. The worst case scenario came flashing back to him in a wave of memories of dark, violent water and a weight on his body. He hit the water head on.

          He could see the silhouette of a slowly sinking Jean against even darker, deeper water. He swam down, arms reaching for his crewmate.

          His hands finally wrapped around wet fabric. With everything he had he pushed back towards the surface. With the dead weight of wet clothing and unconscious young man, it was more of a struggle than he thought it would be, but he managed. With a gasp he heaved Jean up. This time, Jean felt almost weightless as his head breached the surface beside him.

          He didn't have time to think about it as he made to frantically swim towards the receding ship. Adrien thanked whatever god was out there that Theo had seen his disappearing-over-the-ship act and threw a life line into the water for him. Grasping the line dragging behind the ship Adrien, with slow tugs, pulled himself and Jean towards safety. Theo, satisfied Adrien was grasping the line, began to slowly pull the rope back towards the _Miraculous_ , but his assistance was cut short by a strike of the strange goo straight to his side.

          The rope slackened too suddenly, and then snapped taught. Adrien's grasp on the rope slipped. In a panic, he moved his other hand to grasp the rope to prevent himself from slipping away.

          He was safely clinging to the life line, but his blood ran colder in the already chilly water as he realized that Jean was now no longer in the hand grasping the rope.

          He turned back, hoping that he could still reach his crewmate, only to find that Jean' unconscious body was floating alongside him and keeping up. _What the-_

          Dark, raven hair breached the surface at Jean's side… Blue eyes followed shortly and met with his… A lopsided, bright smile…

          _Marinette._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should probably say: I really love when people point out grammatical/punctuation errors. If you see anything that I need to work on/fix just let me know! I take critiques seriously, so don't be afraid to point anything out to me!


	7. The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The origins of Felix's journal. Adrien and his.... issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the later update! I've been trying to write as much as I can but there's a lot on my metaphorical plate right now. Including but not limited to: packing for school, finishing cosplays, and going out of town to see family. I promise the next chapter will be a good one! I swear!

          "So, you aren't going to drown me?"

          "Why would I do that?"

          He paused, perplexed by her statement. "That's what I've been told."

          "I won't drown you unless you give me a reason to." She lay her head on her arms as she looked up at the blond through dark lashes. "Are you going to give me a reason to?"

          He held his hands up defensively. "God, no."

          "Then I will not drown you. Simple as that." Her tail curled up and over to hover above the curve of her back. Deep ruby against pale red scales shimmered in the sunlight.

          "You're… not what I expected for a mermaid."

          "Well, what did you expect?"

          "I don't know, really. I guess a monster."

          "Monsters and mermaids are far different creatures. Yes, we are both magic sensitive, but us mermaids aren't inherently evil. We still maintain some of our human senses of morality and reason."

          "What do you mean 'human'?"

          "If you come back tomorrow, I'll tell you."

 

          "This is a pencil, and this is paper."

          She brought the writing instrument close to her eyes, fingers running down the smooth wood surface with a curiosity he'd only seen in children. "What do they do?"

          Procuring another pencil from his side he picked it up and began to sketch. "I'll show you in a minute."

          She was impatient while he drew. Body constantly moving in an attempt to see what it was he was doing as he constantly moved away from her prying eyes.

          Only when he was done did he show her. She took the paper from his hands and traced the dark lines with a fingertip. "Is this me?"

          He nodded silently. He watched her with fascination as she inspected his art. Her deep sapphire eyes were wide and her wondrous expression was hypnotizing. "So you create with them."

          "You don't need a pencil to create." He took another sheet of paper from his bag and began folding. In a manner of minutes he had completed his task. "All you need are your hands to create something."

          He handed her the paper design. Her fingers, like she had done to the drawing, followed the lines and shapes of the delicate creation she held. "It's a flower. The actual flower would be called a rose. It's much prettier than a piece of paper but this will do for now. I'll bring you the real thing next time."

          She shook her head. "This will still be the most beautiful thing I've seen, no matter how many if those roses you bring." Her smile she now wore, he realized with a warmth in his chest, definitely topped the list of the most beautiful things he's seen.

 

          "I'm keeping a journal about all the information you've been giving me. It's about time the world knew that mermaids aren't what we make them out to be." He presented the leather bound journal to her, his pencil marking the spot for his writings.

          "What's a journal?" She grasped the book and brought it closer, fingers feeling the leather thoughtfully.

          "It's where I write down important things and my thoughts."

          "And these markings are your writings?"

          "Yes. You don't know how to read?"

          "I've been alive for a little over 300 years. You tend to forget some things the longer you live. Losing my human memories certainly doesn't help with that either."

          "No, I guess not." Silence filled the space between them as she continued to look at his writings. "I could teach you."

          "To write?"

          "And to read, so you know what I'm writing about."

          He didn't need to hear her answer, he already knew what she would say. Her beaming smile told him everything he needed.

 

          "You're learning quickly."

          "I've always been a fast learner. It also helps that I have an excellent teacher." She gave him a smile as she set down her pencil.

          "I don't know if I'll be able to teach you anything else."

          "There are always more things to learn, my Heart."

          He froze. The words searing his brain and his own heart with a pang.

          "I'm sorry, was that wrong of me?"

          He finally found his tongue after opening and closing his mouth a few times. "No! Not at all." He couldn't help the blush that made its way up his neck and to his cheeks. "It's just, I don't think I've heard 'my heart' as a term of endearment before."

          "I don't remember having a human life, and I don't know if my soul is mine anymore. I don't even know if my own life is mine anymore. But I know I still have the heart beating in my chest," She brushed her fingers over the spot her heart beat. Maybe making sure that it was still there. "Which makes it the only thing I have left to freely give."

 

          "What do you mean?"

          "You know exactly what I mean."

          "I'm sure that I don't."

          "Do I need to spell it out for you?"

          "I really think you do."

          "I L-O-V-E Y-O-U. Get it now?"

          "Can you repeat that please? I still didn't get it." He smiled teasingly.

          "No."

          "Please?" He dragged on the word, "I also can't believe you turned my lessons against me."

          "I guess that just proves how great a teacher you are."

          The two sat beside each other in the soft, warm sand at dusk. Their attentions focused solely on the other. "How is this going to work out, though? I haven't figured out how to break the curse yet. I honestly don’t think there _is_ a way to break it." Pages were flipped frantically as he quickly went through his journal. "I haven't found any evidence to suggest that this is reversible."

          The other shrugged. She flopped down onto her back and stretched, her hands intertwined over her head and a satisfied hum filled the air. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, my Heart."

          "Bridgette," He turned to her, eyebrows knit together worriedly. "But what if I don't? What if I spend my whole life trying to figure out how to break this curse and I grow old before I find the answer? Mermaids never age beyond the point of being cursed, and they can live forever. Theoretically speaking."

          "My Heart, you know I will still love you no matter your age."

          "Bridgette, what if I die?"

          She was silent. Dark ocean blue eyes stared back at him with a sad expression. "Mon vie, even death cannot stop me from loving you, or keep us separated for long."

          "I won't allow you to do that." He steeled his voice.

          "You wouldn't be able to stop me." She retorted matter-of-factually.

          "For the love of… Promise me you won't do that." She said nothing. "Promise me, Bridgette."

          She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before taking a deep breath. "Fine. If that is what you ask of me, my Heart. But if death wishes to claim me then I'll let it without a fight."

          "Bridgette…" He wanted to reason with her, but he was interrupted.

          "Felix, you know how much it annoys me when you're all serious like that." She stuck her tongue out at him. She was acting impish as usual, but he found it far too endearing to be considered normal. He took advantage of the moment. He leaned forward and captured her tongue. They both hummed in contentment as their lips moved in a dance they both knew well.

          He broke it first. She groaned at the loss of touch. "And you love me still, despite how annoying I can be."

          "Touché." She smiled. This time it was her who initiated a searing kiss.

 

          "Bridgette, I have to talk to you."

          "Yes, my Heart?"

          "I…" He felt that if he spoke, his chest would cave in and heart shatter, leaving him but a husk on the sand, but he knew he had to talk to her about it. "I've been engaged. My family has decided that I have to marry another. It's a duty I have to perform for the sake of my family."

          She didn't speak, instead opting to furrow her eyebrows in concentration and stare off thoughtfully.

          "Bridgette?"

          "I have to abide by your laws and customs, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. I guess I should have seen this coming. I knew from the start it would be difficult for a mermaid and a human to be together. We won't be able to see each other again, correct?"

          His eyes burned with the tears he was holding back. "Yes, that is correct."

          She was quiet again. The silence was deafening, he could hear his nervous heart beat in his ears.

          "Will you forget me?"

          "Huh?" Her question startled him.

          "Will you forget me because you have to be with her now?"

          "Never."

 

          It was his last day he would be able to come to the shore. He had to see her. One last time. He approached the shore where they usually met. She wasn't there, but she had to be close by. She always was.

          "Bridgette?" He called out, his voice carrying over the surface of the churning water. "Bridgette, are you there?"

          He was met with nothing but the sound of waves and the cry of sea birds. Usually she came springing out of the water in a splash, but that didn't happen this time.

          "Bridgette!" He called out again desperately, hoping she would come. Praying that she would come.

          He wandered the shore, pacing back and forth in the sand. He didn't know how long he was there, how long he waited for her.

          She never did show up.

 

* * *

 

 

          "Marinette," He breathed out in surprise. Of all things in the sea, of all places in the ocean that man knew of and had yet to discover, she happened to be right there. She smiled in response, her teeth glinting and eyes shining. "What are you doing here?" Adrien whispered, his eyes flickering towards the ship nervously, checking to make sure no one was looking down from above.

          "I was passing through when I noticed your ship. I think you lost something." Giggling, she nodded her head in a gesture to the unconscious man she held.

          "What if someone sees you?" Now confident with his grip on the life line he reached out to take Jean from her, hauling him over to himself before slipping the ring around him. Looking close, Adrien could see Jean's chest rise and fall deeply. Sighing in relief Adrien mentally checked that issue off the ongoing list that had suddenly become alarmingly longer. Now there was the problem of Marinette still beside him, her tail breaking the surface methodically as she continued to swim next to him without a care in the world.

          "As far as I can tell they're all busy." A non-human screech mixed with the shouts that continued to come from the deck. From his angle -trailing in the ship's wake and bobbing defenseless like bait to any other Akuma nearby- he had no idea what was going on. _Had they not taken out the Akuma yet? What are they all doing? Dancing with it?_

          "For someone who has to avoid humans for survival, you sure like to hang around us a lot."

          "What can I say?" She shrugged before giving him a mischievous look. "I like to rebel. Not to mention that you're my knight. I'm confident you'll protect me."

          His cheeks were already flushed enough as it is from the past couple minutes of adrenaline flooding his veins. He really didn't need the skin of his neck and cheeks to burn even more. Coughing to get his voice again he finally managed a reply. "How can I be your knight in shining armor if you _like_ to put yourself in danger?"

          "Well, you'll just have to keep up with me, then." Winking - _winking_!- like she knew the effect she had on him she ducked underneath the water. He scanned the choppy surface, hoping to figure out where she went, when he heard a call.

          "Hang on, Chat! We'll pull you in!" Theo and Nino were both hanging over the edge of the railing and looking back towards Adrien trailing behind the ship. They were both disheveled. Clothes messy and eyes wild.

 _Finally_. "Done dancing with that Akuma?"

          "Not like you were of any help, Chat. Your aim sucks when you're leaping off the ship."

          "I'd like to see you do better."

          "I would. But are you sure you wanna come back on board? Captain isn't going be happy with the new hole in the deck, courtesy of your awful aiming."

          "I'll take my chances with the captain than with any Akuma that could be out here while weaponless. Thanks for the offer though."

          Adrien hadn't noticed the ship stopped moving until he was being hauled in.

          Using some of the free rope Adrien secured Jean into the life ring. Adrien lightly slapped his cheeks. Jean stirred, but didn't open his eyes. "Take Jean up first. He's breathing, but he's still unconscious." He called out with a hand wave, signaling the others to haul Jean up. Adrien would be patient and wait to be hauled up afterwards. In the meantime, he would be busy with the mermaid who he knew was watching him.

          She surfaced beside the ship, rising out of the water without a sound like a predator, her head tucked against the wood of the hull and out of sight of those on deck. Adrien slowly moved towards her, his eyes nervously glued to the railing above him. Only once he could no longer see the railing did he turn to her.

          He was much closer to Marinette than he thought he was. He found himself nearly nose to nose with her. He could feel her warm breath against his skin, the heat of her body floating just inches from his own. Her dark hair fanning out around her shoulders like petals of a flower. He jumped when he felt her tail bat against his legs.

          "Hi." Of all times for his brain to short circuit it had to be when she was around. He should ask her to drown him if he's just going to be an idiot with his tongue glued to the roof of his mouth when around her. Actually, he should just drown himself. Save her the hassle of doing it.

          She giggled. He noted in a daze that he would never tire of that sound; a high tinkling that was music all on its own to his ears. The melody of the (not quite) sirens song he had found himself falling for easily. In fact, -with a sudden, curious thought- he fell for it willingly. "Hello."

          With a shake of his head he shook his hair out of his vision and sent water droplets flying in every direction. "Are you going to be around tonight?" He whispered, still wary of the crew above him.

          His hope that he would be able to talk with her again disappeared like fog in the sun when he saw her expression fall. "I'm sorry, I can't. I'm traveling with my family right now. But," She added with a smile. "Next time I'll stay around." Her tail batted against his leg again. It didn't startle him as much this time.

          "You better keep that promise," He took a breath. "I miss talking to you, Marinette."

          He swore her eyes glimmered like a sky full of stars even within the dark shadow of the ship. "I miss talking to you too, Chat."

          They shared a smile that was abruptly interrupted by a voice calling out.

          It was Theo. "Chat, are you still down there?" In a startled panic, Adrien pushed himself closer to the underside of the ship and out of sight of prying eyes, thus pushing himself against Marinette in the process.

          "Yes, I'm down here!" He hoped the crack in his voice was just his imagination. His body had lined up with hers. Small hands rested against his chest from her reacting to the sudden closeness. Her tail slid between his legs, curling around to brush against the back of his thigh. His arm against the hull by her head braced him from getting any closer. _Not that he would mind…_ She had averted her eyes from him and down, looking at what little space there was between them. He saw what he thought was a blush slowly staining her cheeks.

          Adrien silently apologized to her as he heard Theo call to him again. "We're sending down the life ring!" The following sound of the ring slapping the water behind him shortly followed. He knew he had to come out of hiding under the ship, but every ounce of his being wanted to stay. The battle of sense vs. will raged within him for only a second, but no matter what won he knew he had a duty. With a whisper he made a promise. "I'll see you again."

          She nodded in affirmation. With rosy pink cheeks, she remained frozen to her spot under the hull, watching him with those big blue eyes as he clutched the life ring. Those eyes never strayed from his as he was lifted up. If only for a moment longer he wished he could talk to her.

          She disappeared behind the wood of the ship as he was lifted out of her view.

 

          Four days passed. Four days without a trace of Marinette. Four days of traveling north again without another Akuma attack. Four days of pacing a deck and seeing nothing but never ending blue and the distant dark shape of shore. Four days of slowly growing concern from the crew about his state of well-being.

          They docked by the early afternoon the fourth day for a scheduled stop at a shore-side city for two days. He promised himself that he would freshen himself up in the spacious showers in the marina and clean his salt-crusted clothes. It was something to pass the time and keep his mind at bay. Rescue him from rampaging thoughts of black and red fish tails and doe-eyes.

          With a bag of clothes slung over his shoulder he hurried towards shore, passing pristine private vessels and dark, wooden hunting ships. The laundromat was empty when he arrived.

          Claiming a machine he emptied his bag and tossed the bag on top of it. A clear sign saying 'this is taken, find another washing machine to clean your shit in.' Instead of starting it he stood in front of it, pondering what the fate of the shirt he currently wore would be.

 _The last time I washed this shirt was nearly two and a half weeks ago. I've worn it maybe three, four times. It never got wet, and I don't sweat much anyway…_ A quick look over had him tossing it into the wash. If it didn't pass the vision test, he wouldn't wear it until whatever dark stain that was was gone and the blue fabric was spotless. If he had learned anything from his father, it was that he would rather be dead than be caught in public with stained clothing. Now shirtless, the chill of the building finally got to him. Quickly starting the wash he retreated to the showers, a bar of soap clutched in his hand.

          The chill on his skin quickly dissipated as warm water flowed around him. Closing his eyes he could feel his salt-tangled hair unfurling and softening. The chapped, dry feeling of his skin disappeared as clean, clear water traveled in rivets like the path of rivers across a landscape. Unlike the chilly water that could never quite get warm on the ship, the hot water untangled the knots of stress in his muscles. He sighed in relief. He could almost feel the pressure of a tail against his legs…

 _Damn._ And he was doing so well not thinking about her, too. It would make sense he would immediately think about her in the shower too. All water was generally dangerous to be around for him. Taking a deep breath he leaned his forehead against the cold tile wall. He refused to think about her the last time they talked. God, it felt like years since their little rendezvous four days ago. Has it really only been four days? It hadn't been a week? A month? He had to take a moment to count the days on his fingers before he believed it.

          Breathing onto the tile he tried to lower the beating of his heart and the ache in his chest. He refused to think about her winking. Her achingly pretty laugh. Her finger tips pressed against him and her tail snaking between his thighs. At this point he didn't know if it was an accident or on purpose, but his thighs still tingled four days later.

          His goal to lower his blood pressure and heart beat failed and instead had an opposite effect in some areas. His cheeks flared to life, his skin tingled, and… Well. He certainly wasn't expecting this.

 _O-kay time to get out now._ He reached for the water faucet, but stopped just short of grasping it. His mind froze as a painful awareness took over.

_I didn't bring a towel with me._

          He continued to stare blankly at his hand as he rolled that around in his mind before turning to the shower door. Opening it cautiously he peered out. There were two strange men chatting by the door at the end of the room. Adrien retreated back into the shower, eyes wide with dismay at the predicament.

          He had a few options to choose from:

          1: Run for the door, sprint ten to fifteen yards to the laundromat and grab any towel from the wash to use. Hoping beyond doubt that in his haste he appeared as a hazy blur and not at all like a clearly naked man with an obvious hard on and screaming. (He doubted that would be the case. _Besides,_ he thought with despair, _I haven't put anything in the dryer yet. Everything is still going to be very wet._ )

          2: Put on the pants that he had carelessly tossed to the wall next to the shower door and waddle to the laundromat while the fabric clung to his wet skin uncomfortably and sporting a clearly defined raging boner, and then wait around for his things to finish in the dryer until he could put on dry clothes.

          Or 3: Remain a prisoner in the shower by society's rules of modesty and wait for the issue between his legs to go away and only having to worry about the uncomfortable cling of fabric on wet skin as he shuffled over to the laundromat and put his things in the dryer.

          3 would be his best option among the three.

          He sighed, turning the faucet with a cringe to blast water as cold as he could stand it. Sitting down on the tile floor he took deep breaths. Hopefully his breathing exercise would help some.

          By the time he left the bathroom all he wanted to do was go back to the ship and sleep and not do anything else for fear of running into more bad luck. A meow startled him at his feet. Plagg was sitting in his path, large green eyes staring up at him like he was hiding a secret. Oh of course. A black cat crossing his path. What better way for the universe to tell him that it wanted to just throw all the bad luck in the world at him that afternoon.

          But he couldn't be mad at Plagg. Not with the way the small cat was looking at him so expectantly. He bent down and picked him up, placing him on his shoulders where he usually liked to perch before he continued on his way to finish what he came out to do.

          By the time he made it back to the ship he was exhausted, but the commotion on board jolted him out of his sleepiness.

          "We'll miss you, Kid." The captain pulled the first mate into a quick embrace, clapping his back a few times before letting go.

          "Sure you can keep the _Miraculous_ afloat with me gone?" Kid joked, fist going to good-naturedly tap Alec on the arm.

          The captain looked around at the gathered crew with a smile. "I think we'll manage somehow." His gaze traveled past Kid to where Adrien stood confused. "Ahh, there you are, Chat. You almost missed Kid leaving." Suddenly all eyes were on him. He understood what the captain was saying, sure, but what exactly was going on escaped him.

          "Kid's leaving? When did this happen?" He dropped his bag and approached the huddled crew.

          "Since you were gone for nearly two and a half hours." _Had it really been that long?_ A quick glance to his watch proved that statement true. "The courier came by knowing we were scheduled here, and Kid received a letter."

          Kid continued the story: "Some family things came up and I have to leave immediately. I just wish I had some notice."

          "So do we. If you could stay a little longer we would make a traditional dinner to wish you off." There were so many things confusing Adrien at the moment and _traditional dinner_ was one of them.

          "You'll just have to have it without me when you're congratulating the new first mate." Kid's eyes flickered over the crowd. Who exactly he was looking for Adrien didn't know, but that knowing look told him that he knew to whom the position would go to.

          "Will do. Good luck Kid. You're always welcome on the _Miraculous_." The sacred handshake of comradery and respect was shared between captain and former-first mate. With a nod, a salute, and a 'thank you, captain' Kid waved to the rest of the crew behind the captain. Picking up his bag with the few belongings he had living on the ship he walked past Adrien, giving him a farewell nod.

          "Hey, Kid." Adrien turned his head to the passing brunet. "It was _Miraculous_ knowing you."

          An eye roll and grin that said 'that was awful and you know it but I applaud you on timing' and Kid climbed down the ladder and out of sight.

          Everyone was silent. Was it from the shock of Kid leaving so suddenly? Was it because they had a moment of silence to respect his departure? Adrien felt it could have been a little bit of both, but the quiet was interrupted by Captain Alec's bellow. "Nino Lahiffe! Come here at once."

          The crowd parted like a sea as Nino, wide eyed and startled, walked up to the captain like he was approaching an angry bear. Looking closely, Adrien could see that he wasn’t breathing. Saying a prayer for the death of his best friend, Adrien watched with baited breath like the rest of the crew. Curious to see what exactly Nino had done to spurn the anger of the captain.

          After a moment of ominous silence of Nino standing tall but nervous under the stone eyes of Captain Alec, the captain opened his mouth. "Congratulations, first mate Nino Lahiffe." Everyone, including Nino, inhaled sharply at the sudden turn of events, and then a loud cheer vibrated the ear drums of anyone nearby.

          Through the sound of cheering Nino accepted the duty and snapped into a salute.

          "When we set out tomorrow, let down the nets. We have fish to catch for a feast." Another cheer filled the air.

          Adrien leaned against Nino, arm going around his friend's shoulders. "You know what this means, right?" He drawled the last word. 

          Nino sighed. "4-8. I'm gonna die. I mean, I'm glad that the captain trusts me to be first mate, but I'm gonna die."

          "Since you're first mate now, do you mind putting me on the 3 to 4 am watch?"

          "What a friendly thing to say. Suffering with your best bud in the whole world by going on the graveyard shift. How thoughtful." Nino was really putting the dramatics into it this time.

          Adrien laughed in agreement. _That, among other things._

          He always said he was more of a day person, but he had to admit that as of late, he was slowly becoming a fan of the night.

          "Oh, and by the way. Something came in the mail for you." Nino reached into his pocket and brought out a plain white envelope. "It doesn't say who it's from. Just 'Chat Noir'."

          Adrien took the envelope. In elegant writing was indeed his alias. Nothing but his alias, but he knew that handwriting anywhere. He'd seen it almost every day for 18 years. _My father._


	8. Caught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My poor boy Adrien. He's suffering so much emotional whiplash rn. Also Alya is gonna have heart failure because Marinette just can't stay out of trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I'm going to be moving into my dorm and getting situated at college for the next week or so, so I have no idea when I'll be able to post this chapter then so I'm just going to do it now. Here's to the gift of an early chapter release!

          The letter he received from his father still bothered him the next day. Not even trying to focus on casting off or sailing could keep his mind from falling back to the concerning topic. His father wanted to talk to him, and soon. It would be incredibly difficult to explain to the crew or to the captain why he had to leave for a day to talk to his father, someone he'd never talked about before and whose name was the symbol of a major industry. He was a fashion giant, everyone knew the name _Agreste_. As far as they knew, they didn't explicitly know that he was running from his dad of all things.

          He had to stop letting a page of ink get to him and worry him like this. He would deal with it when he could, and it would be okay. They had a deal, and his father had never backed out of a deal before. And if Adrien knew his father correctly, then he wouldn't go back on his word now just because it's his son he was dealing with. He probably just wanted him to come home so he could tell him what he already knew: that he had two years left of the three granted.

          Taking a breath he put those thoughts to the side. He would worry about it later. He had a job to do. He walked down the deck, passing Kim and Ivan. He thought nothing of it when they tossed a huge fishing net over the starboard side. He thought nothing of it when it crashed into the water below. He thought nothing of what could be hiding in the water.

 

* * *

 

          Startled, Marinette swiftly avoided the net that came crashing down around her. Once she was safely out of the way she watched the net's descent until its silhouette melted into the darkness below. _That was close… They've never let a net down before. Why now?_

          Doing another circle around the area the net came down she resumed her swim beside the ship. She put the concern of that out of her mind, reassuring herself that it would be easily avoided when it eventually came back up.

          She had followed the ship since just a couple hours before. Like the first time she had been drawn to it, she followed that strange sense in the forefront of her mind to the ship. With a shocked thought she understood that it was the magnetizing pull of Chat's aura that drew her in. It was like the first time she saw him: he had been like a beacon in the water, glowing like a star in the darkness, only this time she recognized that glow as his _being_. His power.

          She'd never come across anything like it before, and it brought up so many more questions about him. No other humans had a power quite like he did. His aura had the same feel as other magical beings, but he couldn't seem to hide or suppress it. Maybe his presence is what drew so many monsters ( _Akuma, was it?_ ) to him. They were drawn to him like she was. He was a tempting source of light. Another sun that drowned the one hanging in the sky. When she was around him she thought nothing of it. It didn't even register it was him when her mind was otherwise preoccupied by their meetings. Maybe, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew it all along? Humans had power in their souls and could draw creatures to them easily without their realizing, but something of this magnitude was un-thought of.

_What exactly was he?_

          Regardless of what it was, she could feel his presence like he was there beside her. It comforted her as she swam so close to the ship in the daylight. Keeping a hand on the wood she closed her eyes, keeping that sensation of him so close to her. She focused on that presence, drowning out all other senses. In the darkness behind her eyelids, she could see that shining point that was him.

          She could almost reach out and touch him.

          She was violently pulled out of her reverie with a single touch against her tailfin. Her eyes flew open and she whipped around with all the intent to fight whatever it was. Her hand was stayed however as she came face to face with displeased golden eyes.

          'Poseidon, Alya.' Marinette clicked, a hand flying to her chest in an attempt to calm her pounding heart. 'You almost scared the scales right off of me.'

          'You were scared? I was scared! You just disappeared without telling me!' Alya frantically waved her hands. Her eyes flashing with wild concern.

          Marinette flinched at her outburst. 'I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you.'

          Alya was silent for a moment in disbelief. 'Marinette, we've been over this before. I'm honestly kind of tired of repeating this.' She swam closer to her friend, placing a warm, gentle hand on her shoulder. 'I'm worried about my family getting hurt.' Marinette opened her mouth to object, but Alya silenced her with a hand. 'But, that doesn't mean I won't stop you. I want in on your little outings. I still have yet to see the human that takes up all of your thoughts. Besides, I can't be your impulse control if you aren't around.' She said this with a warm smile, and Marinette felt her own face turn up into a grin.

          'I'll let you know when I go, then.'

          'Great, glad this is cleared up. Now I do believe we have a ship to catch.' With a thumb she gestured to the ship that had gotten ahead of them. With quick, powerful flicks of their tails the two mermaids breached for a breath of air before they caught up to the lurking mass of the ship.

          Once they were swimming at a good pace with the ship, Marinette turned her eyes to her friend. 'So, how exactly did you find me?'

          Alya looked at her, an eyebrow raised. Her eyes upturned like she had a secret. 'I've been told that I'm great at finding things. Plus, I've known you long enough to know your aura like my own tailfin.'

          'Who told you that?' Marinette laughed in disbelief.

          'Myself mainly. But, I am really good at finding things. Even with all the aura interference around the ship.' She looked up at the dark hull, her eyes narrowed like she was trying to find something. 'Every time we're near this ship in particular there's always been some strong magical presence. What do they have on this thing? The faerie court?'

          Marinette shook her head. 'No, they don't.'

          'Then what is it?' Alya looked at her curiously. Marinette grinned wildly.

          'That's _him_.'

          Alya took a moment to process Marinette's explanation. 'You're pulling my fin. I don't believe that one bit.' Marinette kept her smug grin in place. 'No. No way. Humans can't possibly have auras this strong.'

          Her grin didn't falter as she replied with a trill. 'I didn't believe it either, but it's most definitely him.'

          'Way to pick the human who's probably drawing every single monster in a four hour swimming distance to this location.'

          'Akuma.'

          'What?'

          Marinette nodded to the ship. 'That's what humans call possessed and transformed souls.'

          'Okay, but I'm still gonna call them monsters. Anyway, I'm surprised he hasn't been eaten yet.'

          'Don't say that.'

          'Just saying what's true. If he doesn't get that aura under control soon, he's going to continue to draw a lot of creatures. He probably doesn’t even know, which even more dangerous. I don't know about you but I would rather not be around when that happens.' Alya shrugged.

          Marinette considered that. It was quite possible he didn't even know that his aura was so different. 'I'll talk to him about it when I get a chance to-' Talking with Alya had completely taken away her attention from their surroundings.

          She had forgotten about the net.

          Its dark pattern rose around them like a predator from the deep. Panic froze her. Alya's expression changed from curiosity to fear in an instant as she too noticed what was wrong. The net was still rising quickly around them, fish caught with them were swimming around frantically with no other way to go.

          She couldn't think. She had to work on instinct. The moment she looked at Alya her instincts told her to save her friend first. Without thinking she rushed Alya, grabbing her arm before swimming the only way they _could_ go: up. The net's edge disappeared beyond the surface and the only opening was closing fast. With a pull of her arm she propelled Alya forward and up. With their speed and the extra power from Marinette by pulling her forward gave Alya the momentum to blast out of the water and mostly clear the edge of the net as it rose, her tail bouncing off the rope as she fell back into the ocean. She was safely out of the net.

          Marinette hadn't quite been as lucky. She made it out of the water, but her body smacked into the netting, her arms hanging over the edge and grasping at the freedom that was just out of reach. But she couldn't hang on.

          Her arms slipped. She tried grasping for the rope, but she couldn't get a hold of it. Her blood turned to ice as she fell back into the water with a splash, her sight focused on the freedom that was now too far away to attempt to grasp for.

          'Marinette!' Alya's panicked cry filled her ears. Alya was just beside her, her hands yanking furiously on the netting. 'I can get you out, help me!' Marinette swam to her, her own hands falling to the netting. They both tugged desperately at the rope, hoping it would budge, snap, or widen just enough for Marinette to swim through, but with each tug the more and more tight the space became. Soon, the fish caught in the net were pressed against her, the water level dangerously low and only lowering.

          'Alya, you have to go!' Marinette stopped tugging and place her hands on her friend's.

          'No! We are going to get you out of this.'

          'Alya, this isn't up for debate! You have to go!' Her tail was above the water now.

          'I'm not leaving you!' Marinette was completely out of the water and Alya was slowly rising with her, her fingers straining against the rope.

          At this rate they would both be in danger. Marinette couldn't allow the endangerment of her best friend to be on her consciousness. She could hear deep shouts above her. They had noticed her, and would notice Alya soon too if she didn't let go. She placed her hands over her friend's desperately clinging fingers.

          "I'm sorry." Marinette whispered, eyes stinging with the tears she couldn't shed. A part of her felt like it shattered like thin ice when she saw the look of horror on Alya's face at her words. With a tug Alya's fingers came loose, and she fell, screaming as Marinette watched her with relief.

          "Marine-!" She was silenced with a splash. Marinette didn't know if Alya resurfaced or not. Her view was cut off by wood underneath her instead of water.

          "Captain! Come quick! You better see this!"

          "It's a siren!"

          "Quick, kill it before it starts singing! You'll be put under its spell if you don't!"

          She turned her gaze to the ship. The humans had begun to gather. Their expressions all a mixture of fear, surprise, and wonder.

          Suddenly she was falling. One of them had released the net and she fell onto the wood hard. Fish flopped about uselessly around her as she attempted to push herself away from the eyes that watched her. She stumbled, the net caught around her tail and her arms.

          Breathing hard, she noticed one of the larger humans had something in his hands. She recognized this instantly as the weapon they use against Akuma. Now she was its target.

          She wasn't a monster, but she was going to die like one.

          "No!"

          She flinched as a _bang_ filled the air.

 

* * *

 

          He heard shouting.

          Now, most animals, and thus humans, had a fight-or-flight response. Although, unlike animals, humans were quite drawn to danger. Adrenaline was a very persuasive chemical. So, like any other human being, he went to go see what all the commotion was about.

          On his way up the stairs from below, he thought 'Akuma', but when he arrived on deck, something more horrifying than an Akuma graced his eyes.

          At any other time, he would have been ecstatic to see Marinette, but now she, in all her ethereal, naked being, was cornered against the rail. Kim had his harpoon gun pointed at her.

          His feet moved before he could command them to, his heart racing in his ears.

          "No!" His hands made contact with the weapon. The harpoon was sent soaring over the ocean before it disappeared soundlessly into the water.

          Everyone went silent. The only sounds he could hear besides his own heavy breathing and heartbeat in his ears was the sound of the ocean below them. Everyone had frozen at his action. Kim stared at him with a surprised, betrayed look. His eyes flickering between Marinette cowering behind him and Adrien's hands still on his gun.

          Heavy boots quickly approaching the crowd matched the beating of Adrien's heart. "What is going on here?" The captain pushed his way through the gathered crew, Nino close on his heels. Alec's eyes fell first on the mermaid, then quickly flickered over to Adrien and Kim, before finally landing on the harpoon gun between them. Nino too looked at the scene, and what Adrien thought was respect shone clearly in his eyes. "I'm going to ask again. What's going on here?"

          "Chat's protecting the siren that was caught in the fishing net, captain." Max stood dutifully, his fingers wrapped around his glasses like if he moved the angle of the lens, the scene in front of him would change.

          "That's not true." Adrien spoke, releasing his hold on the weapon and moving his hands to defensively shield Marinette. "She's not a siren, captain. She's a mermaid. They're not something we have to fear."

          Alec looked between him and Marinette doubtingly. "And how do you know this, Chat?"

          Adrien's breath hitched. He would have to admit that he'd been having midnight meetings with a mermaid to the captain. What would happen to him if he admitted that? What would happen to Marinette? Would she be killed because of him?

          "Chat." Alec's tone was warning him. He had to answer.

          "I've been talking with her." Honesty wasn't always the best route, but at least he wouldn't feel guilty about lying to the captain. The only person who could throw him overboard with just a word if he really wanted to.

          Captain Alec's eyebrow raised in concern. "You have?"

          "Yes, captain."

          "When have you been talking to her?"

          Adrien was willing to admit that he had been talking to Marinette in front of the crew, but _when_ he talked to her wasn't something he necessarily wanted them to know.

          "With all due respect, captain, I would prefer to discuss anything else in private."

          Adrien stood his ground, hoping that he looked confident and stubborn with that statement when he felt nothing but fear for talking back to his _boss_.  The captain mulled over his words in the tense silence. He seemed to come to a conclusion because he sighed. "Alright Chat. I'll hear you out. But, you bring her with us." He pointed a finger at Marinette. "Nino, you're coming with us as well." With a wave of his hand he moved towards his own cabin at the aft end of the ship, Nino following closely behind.

          "Thank you." If all goes well at least he wouldn't be thrown overboard. Best case scenario he'd be shot where he stood rather than freeze or drown in the ocean. Spinning on his heel he finally faced Marinette. She was afraid. It was so clear on her face, like she expected him to turn on her. Cautious, he slowly approached, hands out in reassurance. 

          "Hey, it's okay. The captain won't hurt you. Trust me." He was careful not to say her name. Somewhere in his mind he made the bullshit excuse that it was because of what Nino told him: that mermaids only told their names to those they trusted, but he knew it was just because he was selfish. Selfish because he didn't want the others to know her like he did. How could they possibly understand?

          She nodded, arms reaching out to him despite still being tangled in the netting, a frustrated sound coming from her at her as she couldn't raise them any higher. He smiled amusingly at her concern for the roping wrapped around her.

          "Here, let's get you out of that." With painfully slow movements he removed the net. He didn't want to move too quickly for the fear of scaring her further. Once she was free of the net he kneeled beside her. "I'm going to pick you up. Is that okay?"

          She nodded again. Her arms already reaching out to him and winding around his neck as he slipped his arms under her. One behind her back and the other underneath her tail. In the sun, the bright red scales glistened a red he saw only in sunsets. He stood up slowly, careful not to jostle her. Her head buried itself in his neck, but her eyes remained out and curious at the surroundings and the crew. The objects of her examination parted around him as he followed the captains orders. Nino was waiting for him, holding the door open for him and the girl he held in his arms.

          The heat of the day outside vanished in the cool air within the captain's quarters. A shiver went down his spine as the cold hit him. Marinette too shuddered in his arms.

          "Set her down there, and please cover her with a blanket or something." Alec gestured to the couch against one wall. Adrien nodded, setting her down gently onto the soft cushions. Reluctantly she unwound her arms around him, but she didn't let go. After draping the blanket resting on the back of the couch across her she reached a hand out, finding a fistful of his shirt and grabbing that like he was her lifeline. He didn't stray from her despite the wondrous look Alec was giving him.

          The captain's expression was stony. Hands folded in front of his mouth while his elbows rested on the dark wooden desk. After a quick look between the two crewmen and the mermaid he spoke. "Personally, I'm tired of all the secrets. I get it, you have things you don't want people to know. Hell, I have secrets. Everyone in the world has secrets. But if you're keeping something from me that risks the lives of everyone on board then I better hear about it right now."

          "She's completely harmless if that's what you're asking, captain." Adrien moved a hand around his his back. She freed his shirt and took his hand instead, giving it a squeeze.

          "Okay. That's a start. Now, what did you say about her _not_ being a siren?"

          "From what she's told me, sirens and mermaids are completely different. Sirens can look like mermaids, but mermaids aren't sirens."

          "And you trust her word on that?"

          "Actually, if I may, Captain Alec. That's true." Nino piped up from his position by the door.

          All three of them turned to him.

          "And you know this how, exactly?" Captain Alec gestured for him to continue.

          Nino glanced over at Adrien before turning back to Alec. "I did my research."

          "So," Alec leaned forward on the desk, hands clasped. "You're expecting me to trust the word of a mermaid, who apparently isn't a monster, and your 'research'."

          "Captain. Mermaids are docile and only protect their own if threatened. How are we any different? Besides, she saved my life!" Adrien took a step forward, but couldn't go far. Her hand gripping his tightened.

          "She saved your life?" His hands went back up to his mouth, perplexed.

          "Yes. When I went overboard when the serpent Akuma attacked us. She brought me back."

          Alec's dark eyes flickered to Marinette curiously. "Really?"

          Turning to look at her out of the corner of his eye Adrien could see her nod.

          Alec took a moment to look over the three of them carefully before he leaned back in his chair. "Alright, I'll believe you that mermaids aren't monsters. But, if there's reason to think that they're a threat to us, you know what we have to do. So for now, we'll classify them as a non-threat."

          "I can promise that we won't give you a reason to hunt us." Adrien jumped at the sound of her voice.

          "So, she does speak." Alec leaned forward again, clearly as surprised as the rest of them were and interested.

          "Every other mermaid can too, in case you're wondering."

          Alec laughed. "Sassy too. No wonder you two get along so well." Adrien wished he could shoot Alec a disapproving look, but that would not be a respectful thing to do to his superior, so instead he turned to his other superior/the only other person he could direct the look at: Nino. He hoped Nino could decode the meaning of his look like binary or Morse or a drunk text and pass it on to the captain. Like that one child's game he's heard about before… where a message is passed from one person to the next. Like that.

 _Telephone_. That's what he was thinking of.

          "So, do you have a name?"

          She didn't speak now. Instead, she gave his hand a squeeze. She wanted him to answer.

          But what should he say? He wanted to respect the trust in her giving out her name, even if it meant lying to the captain. He had to come up with something… He looked back at her, hoping she would have an idea, when his eyes fell on her tail. The boundary between black and red scales was marked by black spots. From the first moment he saw her tail he thought it resembled a ladybug…

          "Ladybug." Adrien turned back to the captain. "Her name is Ladybug."

          His eyebrow quirked up. Clearly Alec didn't believe that one bit, but he didn't push it. Instead, he looked back at Marinette. "Very well." Alec stood from his desk, making his way around it to stand in front of Adrien. "Then, Ladybug, it was a pleasure to clear up that misunderstanding. As of now, no one on this ship will harm mermaids, unless we are attacked first. Don't ever doubt that I'm not a gentleman and a man of my word, but I will do whatever I can to protect my crew."

          "As will I. As long as we are not threatened first we will be nothing but courteous of your ship and the humans on it. But," She turned her gaze to Adrien. "I do hope I get to continue to talk to Chat during the night. It's a win-win situation. You get to know more about us mermaids and we get to learn more about you humans. It seems only fair to know who it is you're making a deal with."

          Alec laughed again at her words. "Well, you're quite savvy with making deals. Now I can understand why you've had a lot on your mind lately, Chat. Where'd you find her? I like her already."

          "Ironically, I learned it from you humans." Her lips pulled up on one side into a lopsided smile.

          "Alright, Ladybug. You have yourself a deal. Do mermaids seal deals? Do you have a handshake or…?"

          "What's a handshake?"

          "Well, that answers that question." Alec coughed before he waved his hand, signaling for them to leave. "It's about time she goes back. We have a celebration feast to prepare for. We can talk later about this." The tone he spoke in clearly told him that this conversation wasn't over. Far from it. Of course, now he had to actually report to him about his conversations. Even with the agreement, it didn't make reporting to the captain any less nerve-racking.

          Adrien turned and picked her up again, blanket and all. Her arms found their way around his neck again and hands grasping at his hair and shirt. Her fingers purposefully running through his hair was distractingly euphoric, but he held onto his sanity as he maneuvered her back out the door and into the sun.

          This time it was too warm out. He already missed the cool air of the captain's room.

          "How am I going to get you back in?" He said this mainly to himself, but she replied anyway. She whispered to him as she looked forward.

          "Just set me over there." Nodding in the specified direction.

          "Okay." He followed her command. He set her down lightly onto the railing as she wanted, the blanket still draped around her shoulders.

          He began to step back, but her hand fisting the front of his shirt and tugged, bringing him far too close. He was keenly aware of the crew's eyes on them.

          Her breath tickled his ear. "I'll see you tonight."

          His cheeks warmed with more than just anticipation. "I'll see you then." Her hand released him. Finally he was able to pull back to see her face. She was grinning hugely. Her eyes crinkled in a way he found incredibly cute and _were those freckles? Those were definitely freckles, how come I'd never noticed before?_

          She shrugged the blanket off, balling it up before tossing it at his face. He jumped at the suddenness of the attack, his hands flying to the fabric in an attempt to rid himself of it. Once he finally wrestled it off, hair tussled and staticy, he was alarmed by her disappearance. Bending over the railing, he saw the last millisecond of her splash back into the ocean. Her tail seemed to wave a goodbye to him as she disappeared beneath the shimmering water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: I wrote this chapter in under five hours cause I was stuck at the airport because I was so excited about this scene. I'm in for the ride of this fic same as you readers, it's honestly just writing itself now.


	9. Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have Nino and Alya been replaced?  
> Also, when could black cats speak?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the late update! Three high-workload science classes and an art class topped with a comic I'm working on leave very little room for fanfics ToT  
> There's a little more to know about mermaids in this chapter, and, of course, the usual cliffhanger~

          The 'day' kind of person Adrien had been was long gone. He found himself becoming too accustomed to waking up in the hours of the night no normal person would _want_ to wake up at. Sure, he still loved the day and the light and the warmth of the sun, but it was night that gave him the freedom to talk to Marinette in peace. Especially when he was the topic of conversation the entire day.

          After the fiasco on the deck that afternoon, he found himself under the watchful stare of his crewmates the rest of the day. They were scared, surprised, and to his _own_ surprise: in awe. After Marinette ( _ahem, Ladybug_ ) disappeared he had been approached by almost everyone with questions.

          "How did you meet?" "How'd you get on the good side of a mermaid?" "So she won't drown us?" "Are there more mermaids?" _"So mermaids aren't monsters?"_

          That last question struck a chord with him. It was certainly something he thought to himself when he first met her, but now, he found that he was more than defensive in Marinette's favour.

          Adrien found it funny, actually: his great grandfather had, apparently, befriended a mermaid and written about her in a journal. Here Adrien was, a hundred years later, and he was doing the exact same thing _._ What were the odds of that happening? The probability that both he and his great grandfather would both meet a mermaid?

          Too low to be simple coincidence.

          Certainly too low to even consider for long as he waited for Marinette in the striking shadows cast by the electric lantern. He was just glad his meeting-privileges hadn't been revoked by the captain. To his surprise, the captain seemed more than intrigued at the sudden development.

          The congratulatory dinner was lively and joyous sure, but the incident earlier had caused the crew to become a little more lost-in-their-thoughts than usual. If a stranger were to have walked in on them, they would have immediately noticed that something was off. But Adrien could give credit where credit was due: they were trying the damnest to focus.

          "Chat," The captain gestured to him while they all began to clean up and disperse. Adrien was terrified, but he trailed dutifully after the captain back to his quarters.

          He sat stiffly down on the couch. Somewhere in the back of his mind a voice reminded him that just hours before Marinette had lain there. The velveteen fabric was still damp from where she had rested. His finger sought out and traced the faint water spots as he awaited his fate.

          "Chat." Alec repeated himself standing at one side of his desk, a hand braced against the edge. "You've been clearly distracted lately and now I know the reason why. As the captain, I don't approve of your spaciness." He shifted to lean against the desk. "But, as someone who appreciates knowledge, I can understand why you've been distracted. I'm interested in what we could learn from her, so I'm going to allow you to continue talking to her." Adrien began to open his mouth to thank him, but he was silenced with a wave of a hand. "Only if you agree to document what she's telling you." He brought up a dark brown book between them. By reflex, Adrien took it. "I want to keep this as official as possible. If she keeps to her word, then maybe we could send this in to be looked at by Parliament. Maybe even the Prime Minister, who knows." While he spoke, Adrien was examining the journal in his hands. It was bound in dark leather and secured with a blood red wooden spine. Opening it up he found pristine pages of lined paper. Empty and waiting to be filled.

          Who knew this new responsibility would weigh so little and seem so small in his hands?

          The journal still felt almost weightless in his hands now, despite how thick it was. He had been carrying it like a bible ever since he received it. Whatever he wrote would bring to light the truth about mermaids.

          But, why then hadn't Felix's writings ever been addressed or mentioned before?

          He looked up from the book to a keyed up Nino. His leg bouncing anxiously against the deck as he sat on a supply box, hands folded and eyes cautiously darting around behind his wide glasses.

          Oh yeah, Nino was with him too.

          As a condition of documenting unbiasedly, the captain wanted a witness. Nino was the best option in that case. He was the only one Adrien knew of that had met a mermaid before and understood them as well as Adrien did. And being his best friend, he was trustworthy. His only concern was that Marinette wouldn't take to the idea of another person around.

          He could only wait and see. 

          The waiting was the worst part. He always got nervous and excited and impatient whenever he knew she was coming. He had to do something, anything, to keep himself busy. He took his pen out and opened the leather front.

          What now? He never learned how to document things in any the lessons he'd had at home. He had learned how to speak to business men and how to do calculus in his head. His hands have been taught how to play the piano, how they should be set and posed, how to write in graceful cursive and how to formally phrase letters and emails to men much higher on the pyramid of power.

          He'd never learned how to write with his own voice before. It stumped him like a foreign language. Was there a translation dictionary for writing freely from always having to worry about how he phrased something? To write in a way where he wasn't concerned about how what he said could be taken wrongly. What about the chance of messing up and having to scratch an entire page because of one mistake and not wanting to see a black spot of ink marks staring him in the face? God he wished he had a laptop for this, but electronics aboard a hunting ship was both a hazard and a distraction, and thus a liability.

          He had an alarming urge to both thank and apologize to writers everywhere.

          His mind was racing with the first words. His father always told him that first impressions were the most important. This definitely was no exception to that rule.

          He placed the tip against the paper. _That was a start._ If he was going to write this in Morse, he was off to a _great_ start.

          Stories and documentaries always started at the beginning. Why not start there? His pen began to flow…

_Magic is real. Some people choose not to believe it, but it's truly out there._

_Everyone knows that monsters are real: they haunt the shoreline relentlessly as Akuma. Monsters cause tragedy and sadness. Monsters are the things we fear most in ourselves, the thoughts we can't help, but we can decide to give it control. But of our faults as humans is that we see monsters in the things that aren't inherently evil; the dark, heights, other creatures including other people. Magic. Mermaids._

_Not all people believe that mermaids are real; that they're just an old sailor's tale to be told to frighten others._

_But for those who know they're real, they're seen as the sea monsters that must be killed because they have no consciousness, no remorse. Even I thought so._

_Until I met one for myself._

          "Hey, Chat." Adrien raised his head away from the page. "I know I'm supposed to be here and all, but," Nino stood and pressed his back to the mast, hands in his pockets. "Are you sure it's a good idea for me to be here? I want to be respectful to her, but we've already met before, but that was against her will-" His gestures became more and more wild as he went on. Adrien interrupted him before his friend would have the opportunity to smack his hand against the mast.

          "Nino. Nino, relax. It's going to be okay. I can introduce you formally if you want when she shows up." He offered a smile.

          Nino opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of knocking.

          "Chat?" Marinette's quiet voice came up from below.

          With a quick turn Adrien leaned over the railing and met the glow of Marinette's eyes. "Ma- Ladybug!" Her grin shone in the dark.

          "Hello, Chat."

          "Um-" Their collective voices filled the air. They each paused to let the other speak. It didn't get them anywhere.

          "I have-" Again, their voices sounded at the same time. With a laugh Adrien gestured to her, signaling for her to go first. She spoke only after her quiet laughter faded.

          "I want to introduce you to someone, if that's okay."

          "Oh," Nervously he glanced over his shoulder to his friend behind him. An anxious glance was shared between them before he turned to Mairnette again. "Umm, coincidentally, I also wanted to introduce you to someone." It was her turn to give him an anxious glance, but he continued speaking. "Though, you've met him before. He defended you when we were talking to the captain." She visibly relaxed. "I was wondering if it would be okay to introduce you formally this time."

          There was a pause as she considered his request. "He defended me despite not knowing me. I believe it's only right that I meet him."

          With a nod he turned to his friend with a grin. "Well why don't you come over and introduce yourself?"

          Nino stepped cautiously, like he was treading on thin ice, as he approached the railing. Peering over slowly he met eyes with Marinette. Instead of saying anything he gave a greeting with an awkward wave of his hand.

 _Really, Nino? That's the best you can do?_ Adrien looked exasperatedly out to the horizon, second-hand embarrassment settling in for the awkwardness of his friend. _Time to take matters into my own hands then…_

          He gestured to his friend with a wave. "This is Nino. Nino, this is…" _Marinette, but not. She was Ladybug._ He was interrupted before he could finish.

          "Nino?" The water beside Marinette was disturbed by the force of another head shooting out.

          Dark hair and tanned skin. That's all he could really make out in the dark as this new mermaid appeared so suddenly out of the water.

          Everything went silent for a moment. The collective breaths of the four individuals were held as the same question went racing through their minds.

          Nino's and the other mermaid's hands went up at the same time, pointing towards the other in shock. Two questions were asked in a single voice: "It's you!"

          Adrien's and Marinette's eyes flickered between their friends, the other, and back again in confusion. Adrien dared to break the stillness first. "Wait, do you know her?"

          "Yeah! Chat, this is the mermaid I was talking about! The person I've been looking for!" To say Nino was happy to have finally found the girl he's been searching for years to find was an understatement. He practically glowed in his excitement. Adrien was almost tempted to grab onto Nino's shirt to prevent him from jumping into the ocean with that look on his face. People on this ship just can't seem to stay out of the ocean for some reason anyway.

          "I can't believe you still remember me…" The mermaid flashed a beaming smile.

          "Wait, is that the human child you were telling me about?" Marinette looked between her friend and Nino curiously. Obviously as shocked by the development as Adrien was.

          "Yes. Man, I really did not give human memory enough credit. But hey, I can give credit where credit is due."

          "If you thought I would forget you, you're dead wrong." Nino folded his arms and leaned over the railing.

          "How was I supposed to know you wouldn't? You were a child. For you, most of your life has passed since we met."

          "Believe me, I wouldn’t forget you even after a lifetime."

          What was this? Was Nino _flirting_? How was he supposed to deal with this new Nino he's never seen before? Was he even still Nino? Adrien stared unblinkingly at Nino while he continued to talk. Whatever it was he was saying to the mermaid he didn't hear because he was too focused on the lines of his friend's face. There didn't _seem_ to be any creases where a mask was, and his skin didn't look to be made of some synthetic skin replacement. Maybe this was Nino after all?

          Adrien couldn't bring himself to buy it.

          He looked over to Marinette. She was looking at the other mermaid with the same intensity he had been looking at Nino with. A quiet thought entered his mind: looks like this was a new experience for the both of them.

 

 _Who was this mermaid and what has she done with Alya?_ Marinette couldn't help but stare at this total stranger beside her. She spent nearly 300 years with Alya and never has she seen her _actively flirt_ with a human let alone have a conversation. It was almost alarming.

          But no, this was definitely Alya.

          She listened to the conversation. It was strange. She'd never acted this way before even around other mermaids. Marinette had never seen _that_ look in her friend's eyes before. A faraway look of endearment. Like the new human was the only thing she knew.

          Marinette felt a mixture of things. Astonishment, questioning, loneliness, fear, anger.

          Was this jealousy?

          She shook off the feeling. She had no right to feel that. She was leaving Alya all the time to see Chat, Alya must have felt the same way she was feeling now. She was being hypocritical if she let the feeling linger. Besides, why should she let a poisonous emotion like jealousy take over the desire to have her friend be happy with whatever and whomever she chooses to give her attention to?

          She gave her friend a gentle smile, not that she was watching anyway, but it was the thought that counted.

          Chat interrupted whatever conversation Alya and Nino were having with a cough. "So, back onto the topic, I guess." He held something out away from him: she had no idea what it could be.

          Alya and Marinette both tilted their heads curiously at the object.

          "I should probably tell you what this is." Chats eyes flickered between them and the object he held, the black leather around his eyes making the green stand out more than she could describe. "I'm going to be writing down information about you in this. Later on, hopefully, we can get the world to see that you're not what we make mermaids out to be." He gave a small smile.

          Marinette turned to Alya with a glance. Of course Alya knew what she was thinking; she nodded her head with a quick, accepting motion. She turned back to Chat. "Ask away."

          She was surprised that he went back to the beginning. Back to the questions that he had asked the first time they had met. Of course, she couldn't blame him for repeating himself: there was so much they had talked about. Alya added comments as the questions and answers came flowing out. Nino asked his own questions as well. Questions that she let Alya answer. "Both of your tails are different in color and shape. Are all mermaid tails unique like that?" "What are their differences in function?" "How do you not get cold in winter?"

          It was concerning. Chat slowly became silent as Nino took over questioning her and Alya. His expression dropped into a neutral stare, his eyes pointedly down on the object in front of him, but not focused on it.

          She called out to him, interrupting Alya mid-answer without meaning to. Chat still didn't ruse.

          "Hey, Chat." A hand to his shoulder from Nino jolted him, his eyes finding Marinette first before turning to the other human. "You getting sleepy on me?"

          Chat scoffs. "Me? Not at all. Don't you know cats rule at night?" A high sound resounded beside Chat, the source just out of sight. "Yes, thank you, Plagg." He turned to Nino again, "See?" Plagg jumped onto the railing, his green eyes glowing brightly against the dark night sky as he watched Marinette and Alya with a watchful and knowing stare. Marinette knew the secret behind that look. Plagg had purposefully revealed his true self to her when they first met, but it didn't seem that any of the humans knew.

          Knew what kind of ancient being of discord that happened to reside upon their ship.

          She bowed her head briefly in greeting to the ancient god, showing her and Alya's collective due respects to this higher being without revealing him. If he had yet to reveal himself, then she would be out of her place to do it.

          He blinked slowly. Acknowledging her.

          "Marinette?" Alya whispered, her warm hand going to rest on her freckled shoulder. "You okay?"

          "Yeah, why?" She looked at Alya curiously, hoping to distill any lingering doubt that she hadn't just felt humbled in the presence of the being so obvious before them and yet hidden in shrouding magic.

          It worked. Alya shrugged the question off and turned to Chat and Nino above them. "I think it's about time for us to leave. We've been away too long as it is, and we don't want the others getting alarmed."

          "Others?" Nino asked.

          "The other mermaids of our family." He breathed out a sound of understanding. "I'm sure you humans need to go soon as well. It's not usual for creatures, magical or otherwise, to stay up this late."

          "Look who's talking." Nino said with a flirtatious smile. Alya quirked an eyebrow.

          "Touché."

          "I agree with her," The object Chat held made a clap as he closed it. "It's about time for us to sleep. The captain's probably gonna work us to the bone tomorrow knowing him."

          "Yeah, I guess you're right." Nino leaned away from the railing in a stretch. "Well, it was nice meeting you again, Ladybug."

          "Actually, about that," Rubbing her arm and flicking her tail in a nervous shudder, "You've proven enough that you're on our side: that you won't hurt us, so it's only right that I tell you my name." She met eyes with Chat, his gaze was startled to say the least as he quickly looked at his equally-stunned friend.

          "I-" Exchanging looks with Chat his eyes flickered to Alya before meeting hers. "I don't need to know, don't worry. If it's okay with you I'd like to stick with 'Ladybug' for now."

          The strange, cautious honesty was startling for her, but she appreciated his chivalry. "Alright. 'Ladybug' it is."

          "I'm Alya by the way." Marinette hadn't even finished her sentence before Alya introduced herself. Marinette threw her an alarmed look. Her friend returned a look as if _she_ was the crazy one. "What? Technically I've known Nino far longer than you have, I already know he's trustworthy. Secondly, Chat's proven himself time and time again. You put your life in his hands and he has proven his trustworthiness time and time again. why wouldn't I not show them that they can trust me too by giving them my own life?"

          Chat leaned over the railing, his eyes behind the black covering wide and concerned. "What do you mean by 'giving us your life'?"

          Alya looked at Marinette, back and Chat, and then back to her friend again. "You- you never told him?"

          Marinette could feel the blood rush up her neck in her increasingly flustered state. "I would get to that eventually…"

          "Tell me what?" She felt as if Chat's gaze was burning her skin like the sun on a blazing day. Alya gave her a look saying ' _you're_ taking this one'. She turned back to two pairs of curious eyes on her from above.

          "Well," A hand went to rub her arm. Suddenly the night was very cold against her skin. "There's a reason magical creatures don't give out their true names. The name of any being, magical or not, has power to it. If you know a creatures true name, you can control it, but it's a more profound effect on magical creatures because we're so sensitive to magic as it is. When we give you our names, it's like a life pledge. We're giving you our lives. You can control us as you please with the magic of our names. It's our way of showing that you can trust us as much as we trust you." She looked up cautiously through her eyelashes at wide eyes.

          "You cared for me when you were only a child, so I owe you my life as it is." Golden eyes met brown. Alya turned to the pair of green eyes. "And you risked yourself to protect a member of my family, why wouldn't I give my life to you in return for saving hers?"

          This was both just like Alya and so unlike Alya that Marinette couldn't decide which side she found more endearing.

          The two humans above them were speechless; both of their lips parted but neither spoke. Could she really doubt their reaction? It was probably their first time being told that they held life in their hands so easily. But there was a conundrum with that: did mermaids have lives? With their souls in something else's possession, did they have a life? They had their bodies, and their minds, and their hearts: but what power did a mermaid's name have if their soul was no longer theirs? They lived on a separate plane of existence: they could die, but without a their souls they could never _live_.

          Only time could tell what they didn't know. They would have to wait and see.

          They bid farewell to Nino and Chat and ducked back under the water.

 

          "You coming?" Nino had made it halfway to the stairs with the lantern before realizing that Chat wasn't following him.

          "Yeah, I'll be down in a sec." The blonde busied himself by stroking Plagg's head. The small cat vibrated under his hand as his fingers scratched black fur.

          "Alright. Night dude." Adrien waited until he could no longer hear the sound of footsteps before he let out a sigh. It had been arguably the longest day of his life. Second only to the one day that still haunted him 13 years later.

          Looking out into the night he tried not to think too much about it. The incident happened long ago. Too long to still be reminiscing about it. He was only a child, and even though the details of everything were lost to the static in his memory he still remembered as clear as day the moment he realized his mother wouldn't be coming home.

          He shook his head, trying to dispel the thought of that day for the moment. That was a memory for another time, because no matter how much you try to dispel them, you could always count on them to come back: like cobwebs lingering in the corners of a room.

          Chewing the inside of his cheek he focused instead on the ocean. Marinette would be long gone by now, there was no more talking with her tonight, so his only distraction was the hazy reflection of the moon peeking between dark clouds.

_It's a shame that she couldn't stick around a little longer._

          "Yeah." He breathed out.

          Several breaths passed before it dawned on him that he just responded to his own thoughts.

 _What would you have asked her if sh_ e did, however?"

          "Why she's risking so much now to still see me." Okay, now he was certain he was going mad. Having conversations with himself definitely left a few things for him to question about his own sanity. Maybe the heat has finally gotten to him.

          A chuckle filled the air.

          That didn't come from himself.

          "I can certainly think of a few reasons why." The voice that was confirmed to be most definitely not his own thoughts came from beside him. It was a voice he didn't recognize. His blood ran cold as he slowly turned to meet the stranger that was speaking.

          He didn't expect to meet the large green eyes of Plagg, the black cat.


End file.
